Workshop Listing by Subject
Members of the clinical staff of Methodist Counseling and Consultation Services offer workshops, retreats, and organizational consultations for the religious and secular communities. These offerings reflect and respond to the needs of the community and also utilize the interests and expertise of MCCS staff therapists to fulfill the healing mission of MCCS. Each of these MCCS offerings is designed in collaboration with the host organization to ensure that the event is tailored to the group’s needs and objectives.
Below is a listing of workshops available by MCCS staff members. Please feel free to contact the staff persons listed for further information or to request an educational workshop not listed.
Workshop Listing by Subject
Workshop Offerings
Marriage Enrichment
Couplehood 101: Caring, Communication and Cooperation. Couples can explore caring ways of communicating constructively and working together toward common goals and shared fulfillment. (Todd Matson)
Air Bags Included: Crash Course in Cruising Through Conflict. Couples can learn to manage and resolve conflict more constructively as they explore the boundary between destructive and constructive methods of conflict resolution. (Todd Matson)
How to Date Your Mate: Candlelight Dinners in a Chaotic World. Couples can learn how to carve out time for intimacy and spontaneity and continue their courtship amidst the chaos and pressures of life. (Todd Matson)
Surviving Empty Nest Syndrome: Making the Empty Nest Fulfilling. Empty-nesters can explore a variety of methods for working through the grief which accompanies this transition in the family life cycle, while learning how to live fully into new experiences and adventures. (Todd Matson)
He Said. . . She Said. . . Huh? This fun course helps us explore our differences, claim our strengths, see our blind-sides and aim for Jesus' calling to be "whole". (Mark Larson)
Becoming One. After material is presented in the large group setting, participants are given opportunities for individual reflection as well as for discussion and for practicing new skills with one’s partner. The six hour experience can be tailored to newlyweds, couples married more than ten years, etc., for a one-day or weekend retreat setting. (Mark Larson)
Speaking the Languages of Love. This series helps us to identify the particular love language that fills our "love tanks" as well as which expressions mean the most to others around us. Series can be adapted to couples, single parent and families groups. (Mark Larson or John Arey)
Taking Charge of Your Life and Money. This course will introduce you to the tools that can: 1)Get you out of debt and develop practices that increase savings; 2)Clarify your priorities so you can give yourself what you value most; 3)Develop financial intelligence, integrity and independence; 4)Steer yourself away from the siren call of consumerism so you can take charge of your life. (Mark Larson)
Parenting Issues
Parenthood 101: Building Children Up in a Head Shrinking World. Parents can explore ways of nurturing lasting self-esteem in their children as they send them out into a dog eat dog world. (Todd Matson)
Parent Maps and Parent Traps: Do’s and Don’t’s of Discipline. Parents can explore some healthy and effective methods of discipline which are standing the test of time while learning to avoid some of the pitfalls of punitive parenting. (Todd Matson)
Terrible Two’s Revisited: Bonds and Boundaries Between Parents and Teens. Parents can explore effective ways cultivating age-appropriate bonds with their teens while learning to engage their teens negotiating age-appropriate limits and boundaries on their behaviors. (Todd Matson)
Solo Parenting: Patience and Power for Single Parents. Single parents can explore methods of child management and discipline, learn to effectively utilize resources within their spiritual and social support networks, and apply those resources to the parenting tasks at hand. (Todd Matson)
Who’s the Boss? Positive Discipline Strategies for Parents. This workshop introduces positive approaches for getting more cooperation with your child, strategies of getting out of the power struggles in which you already find yourself as well as preventative approaches that can help you be more pro-active in creating an affirming home atmosphere. (Mark Larson)
Building Long-Term Self Esteem in Your Young Child. Characteristics of healthy self-love in children will be introduced along with practical approaches for nurturing it. Healthy self-esteem enables children as they age to focus better on tasks at hand, set and achieve worthwhile goals and show empathy and compassion for others. (Mark Larson)
What Can A Children’ Story Illustrate About Pastoral Counseling? This workshop takes the mystery out of the counseling process and playfully explores what pastoral counseling is through the telling of a classic children’s story. (Mark Larson)
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk. This workshop can give parents new options that help them to be more effective, feel less frustrated and get more cooperation their children. (Mark Larson)
Family Matters
Walking the Tightrope: Balancing Demands of Work and Family. Working parents can explore ways of managing stress, placing limits on availability, negotiating a division of labor in the family, delegating responsibilities, and enlisting the support and cooperation needed keep the household running. (John Arey or Todd Matson)
Breaking Bread in the Two-Breadwinner Household. Working parents can learn ways of structuring quality time to be spontaneous and to nurture relationships with spouses and children. (Todd Matson)
Two Steps Forward: Stepfamilies Stepping Forward in Faith. Participants are invited to explore how stepfamilies are not actually inferior versions of biological nuclear families, but simply “different” with distinctive needs and ways of meeting them. (Todd Matson)
Families on the Front Lines: Overcoming Terror and Terrorism. Parents can learn developmentally age-appropriate ways of helping their children win the psychological war on the home front while nurturing in them a positive regard for themselves and others who are different. (Todd Matson)
Prodigal Families: From Alienation to Reconciliation. Persons longing for connection within their nuclear, extended, or congregational families can explore possibilities for reconciliation and healing from theological and psychological perspectives. (Todd Matson)
Divorce Issues
Life After Divorce: Reviewing, Renewing and Rebuilding. Participants can explore the factors which contributed to their divorce, begin a process of renewing their minds instead of “rebounding” into another unhealthy relationship, and develop tools to rebuild their lives. (Todd Matson or John Arey)
Divorce Recovery. Divorce can be devastating for an individual as well as a family. In this workshop, participants learn how divorce affects both adults and children. They learn to recognize and minimize emotional distress in children and explore survival strategies for the divorcing adult. They also learn how to recognize when they should consider seeking emotional support. (John Arey)
Loss and Grief
Recovering from Loss. We all experience losses in our life, from the loss of friendships and familiar surroundings when we make a move to the death of a loved one. In this workshop, participants learn about both the stages and tasks of the grief recovery process, common misconceptions about grief and loss, and strategies for recovering. We will also explore how to help someone who is grieving and the signs that someone needs extra help. (Jonathan Golden)
Managing Grief. Workshop or Group designed to address ways people may develop healthy and healing coping strategies when dealing with the death of a loved one. (John Arey)
Dealing With the Death of a Child. Group or workshop designated for parents who have had a child to die, still birth, or miscarriage. (Mark Larson)
Personal Healing
Prayer and Spiritual Healing. This presentation may be a series of talks, a weekend retreat, or a one-hour "condensed version" that enables participants to discover God's healing power already at work in their lives and to develop new ways of praying when suffering and prayer seem to be beyond words. (John Arey)
Coming Out of the Dark: Climbing Up from Depression to Joy and Laughter. Participants can explore the various mechanisms by which they manufacture depression as well as a variety of spiritual, psychological, and medical resources which can help them defeat it and keep it from coming back. (Todd Matson)
Understanding Depression. Depression affects thousands of people in this country. It is always troubling and, for some people, it can be disabling. Depression is more than just sadness or “the blues.” It can have an impact on nearly every aspect of a person’s life. People who suffer from depression may experience despair and worthlessness, and this can have an enormous impact on both personal and professional relationships. This workshop involves understanding what depression is: how it feels, its many causes, and how to overcome it. (Jonathan Golden or John Arey)
Understanding Anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in our culture. They can range from simple phobias to social phobia, to panic disorders, to post-traumatic stress. In this workshop, participants will explore the different kinds of anxiety disorders that often affect persons, learn how anxiety can often be an indicator of other issues, and learn possible ways to deal with anxiety and when to seek outside help. (Jonathan Golden or John Arey)
Dealing with Shame, Guilt, and Regret. Shame, guilt, and regret can be crippling, robbing us of quality of life. Persons hampered by these emotions are often stuck in the past, unable to enjoy the present or look toward the future. In this workshop, participants explore what shame, guilt, and regret involve and what causes people to feel them. The workshop also explores ways that feelings of regret might have a positive impact on one’s life. (Jonathan Golden or John Arey)
Personal Growth
As We Forgive Those Who Sin Against Us. Forgiveness is both a decision and a process. Workshop participants will examine what are the barriers to forgiveness and learn how to continue to live into the decision to forgive those who have deeply hurt them. (John Arey)
Spirituality and Mental Health. What difference does our faith make when it comes to our emotional well being? Are there dimensions of the faith that can enhance our emotional well-being? In this workshop participants will learn about how well-being is commonly understood and measured, and how different dimensions of spirituality—prayer and social support—can enhance that well-being. (Jonathan Golden)
What is Pastoral Counseling? Find out how professional pastoral counseling offers a distinctive specialized ministry within the church, as well as a distinctive type of counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups within the field of mental health. (Mark Larson)
Cultivating Your Secret Garden. Using the 1991 Broadway Musical as a structure, participants are given opportunities to dialogue with the characters, images and music through private meditation, personal journaling, group discussion and artistic expression to see how the movements of the story can parallel movements in our Christian journeys. (Mark Larson)
Nurturing Your Creativity Through Dreamwork. This course will provide a supportive setting where persons can discover the practical meanings of their own dream imagery and their implications for expressing their creativity through a new business interest, writing, visual arts, music, etc. (Mark Larson)
Anger & Forgiveness in the Christian Walk. This very difficult topic will be an exploration of these questions: How can Christians best deal with our anger? When is anger justified? What does it mean (and not mean) to forgive? How can we forgive someone who is not repentant? What did Jesus have to say about to anger and forgiveness? (Mark Larson or John Arey)
Learning to Listen to God’s Still Small Voice. This workshop will help you recognize and develop your intuition and heed God’s subtle and often unnoticed signals of danger and callings toward wholeness. (Mark Larson)
Why Did Jesus Have to Die? Each of us believes in Jesus’ atonement according to a set of assumptions. However, can we put in to words what are our assumptions? This series will help us reflect on our own assumptions – evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, ethical and mission implications. In 6-10 sessions, four theories of the atonement of Jesus Christ will be introduced and considered. We will overview and discuss Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement, by Gustaf Aulen and Raising Abel: The Recovery of the Eschatological Imagination by James Alison, as well as other articles. (Mark Larson)
Stress Management
Standing Up to Stress: Rest and Relaxation in the Age of Anxiety. Participants can explore numerous relaxation techniques and stress management tools which can be utilized to diminish anxiety and enhance well-being. (John Arey, Todd Matson, or Jonathan Golden)
Managing Stress & Burnout. Burnout, a specific kind of stress reaction, involves a combination of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a reduced sense of one’s effectiveness on the job. Unfortunately this describes far too many people in our culture. In this workshop, participants will explore the stress and strain leading to burnout as well as ways to counter this stress, including progressive relaxation, breathing exercises, and meditation/prayer. (Jonathan Golden)
Mindfulness Meditation as a Means to Mental Health - Mindfulness is defined as “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment to moment” (Kabat-Zinn). Lack of such attention can contribute to the problems of both anxiety and depression. This workshop is an introduction to mindfulness meditation as a means to enhance emotional health and well-being. Participants will learn what mindfulness meditation involves and how to nurture it in day to day living. (Jonathan Golden)
Abuse Issues
After the Abuse: Moving from Surviving to Thriving. Victims of child sexual abuse can review the effects of abuse, explore some tried and tested healing techniques, and develop a plan to move from surviving to thriving in life and relationships. (John Arey, Mark Larson, or Todd Matson)
Senior Adults
Mental Health and the Elderly. Aging brings with it a host of potential opportunities as well as a host of potential problems. On the one hand, persons in this are group have more time to explore the meanings of their lives and to pass along their wisdom to others; on the other hand, they are often dealing with physical, mental, and financial limitations that severely curtail their quality of life. In this workshop, participants will examine these opportunities/problems, with an emphasis on the special mental health challenges of aging (e.g., anxiety, depression, and dealing with grief and loss). (Jonathan Golden)
Men's Issues
Finding Balance for Your Life. This dad’s group will offer time for a brief discussion on the pressures guys face, along with one tool for assessing how to bring more balance to your life and specific self-care strategies. (Mark Larson)
One Essential Skill for Improving Relationships. What is the one skill that can help men in all relationships? Dads’ group time will be offered exploring what is empathy, what it is not and practical approaches for trying it. (Mark Larson)
Understanding Masculine Psychology. This eight session series explores Robert Johnson's fascinating book that can help guys make practical connections between the seemingly commonplace actions, movements and relationships in our lives and the myth of the Holy Grail. (Mark Larson)
Father to Father: Men of the New Millennium Redefining Fatherhood. Fathers are invited to look beyond traditional masculine stereotypes as they explore with other fathers what it means, and what it can mean, to be men, husbands and fathers today. (Todd Matson)
Congregational Development
Resources for Working with Church Conflict. Referencing Jesus' ministry as well as modern conflict theories, this workshop provides helpful tools for assessing the level and extent of conflicts as well as assessing your own preferred style of working with conflicts, and options for working constructively with conflict using resources within and outside your congregational system. (Mark Larson or John Arey)
Using Your Conflict Management Style Effectively. This workshop overviews the main styles of responding to conflict, and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. (Mark Larson or John Arey)
Using Behavioral Covenants in Congregations. In recent years many congregations have found behavioral covenants to be transformative experiences for their communities. The process of creating a behavioral covenant helps congregational leaders clarify helpful and harmful behaviors in their own community’s life and institutes processes for nurturing positive behaviors and responding assertively to destructive behaviors. Introductory sessions will give you the tools to assess if your congregation would benefit from forming a behavioral covenant. If your leadership chooses to form one, detailed help will be given to assist your leadership in writing one and introducing it to your congregation. (2 introductory sessions; 8-14 hours of covenant writing with leadership) (Mark Larson)
