Sponsored by: Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Behavioral Sciences and Continuing Education Departments

A universal experience for human beings is in coping with the death of a loved one. Group counseling and mutual support groups are the most efficient format for counseling, both from a time-perspective and a financial-perspective. Many counselors feel unprepared to lead a support group as well as uncomfortable with the grief of others. This presentation will address the logistics and the “nuts and bolts” of setting-up and running mutual support groups for the bereaved. The presentation will also provide an overview of the characteristics of grieving individuals and the challenges and benefits of providing counseling for the bereaved in a group setting. This presentation will provide the practitioner with inspiration and/or renewed enthusiasm for this much-needed format.

(Fellow in Thanatology—Association for Death Education and Counseling)

Department of Behavioral Sciences Professor of Psychology and Counseling Southeastern

Oklahoma State University

Jon K. Reid, Ph.D., LPC TX, FT (Fellow in Thanatology—Association for Death Education and

Counseling), Department of Behavioral Sciences Professor Psychology and Counseling,

Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Dr. Reid began his counseling training in 1985, as an

intern serving an ethnically diverse clientele in the southwest part of Dallas, TX. Since that time,

he has gained counseling experience in a variety of settings, such as public schools, private

psychiatric hospitals, private practice, churches, employee assistance programs, and community

counseling agencies. Additionally, Dr. Reid has conducted counseling in a variety of formats, such

as individual counseling with children, adolescents, and adults; group counseling with adults, children

and adolescents, marital counseling, family counseling, and camp-based counseling. Both of his

presentations will draw from this rich background of experiences. 

Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv, Professor of Gerontology at the Graduate School of The college of New Rochelle. Dr. Doka is also the senior consultant to Hospice Foundation of America and a driving force behind the Living with Grief teleconference.

Nancy Hogan, PhD, RN, FAAN, is distinguished professor and associate dean for research at Loyola University -- Chicago. Dr. Hogan's research and scholarship has been devoted to generating and testing adolescent and adult theories of grief and loss and the dissemination of those findings.

Rita Milburn-Dodson, MA,RNC,FT is a registered nurse with over 25 years of health care experience.

Laura Olgague, M.Ed., CT, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Children's Grief Center of El Paso. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Texas Tech and a Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Stacy Orloff, Ed.D. is the Vice President of Palliative Care and Community Programs of the Hospices of the Florida Suncoast and has worked at Hospice of the Florida Suncoast for 17 years.

J. William Worden, Ph.D. ABPP, is the Fellow of the American Psychological Association and holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and the Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology in California. He is also co-principal investigator for Harvard's Child Bereavement Study based at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Frank Sesno, Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, DC where he teachers about the media and its impact on the shape and direction of public policy in America.

Course Objectives: Students will be introduced to how to describe the situations that might engender grief in children and adolescents as well as the particular ways that grief may be manifested in children. Be shown how to describe and evaluate strategies for work with grieving children and adolescents, including counseling, support groups, expressive and play therapies, school-based programs and camp-based programs. They will discuss 3 specific advantages of play therapy as a modality with grieving children and describe at least 3 specific components of play therapy that facilitate the creation of a cohesive narrative of grieving children. There will be discussions of effective strategies to empower parents and other support systems to assist grieving children. The unique issues that grieving children and adolescents pose for professional caregivers and offer strategies for effective self-help and professional support.

Local Moderator and Discussions will be led by: Jane Elder, Sociology Professor, Reba J. Criswell, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist & Assistant Professor, and School Counseling Program Coordinator and Kimberly Donovan, LPC, NCC and SOSU Assistant Professor.

 CALL TONYA (580) 745-2320 to enroll now! LIMITED SEATING IS AVAILABLE!

George Duvall - Comedian and Survivor of the foster care system will share his version of “Success is a Journey.”  As a child, George Duvall’s own family told him he would be dead or in prison by the time he was 13.  By the time he was six, he was a thief, frequently truant from school and involved with gangs. Then he spent 15 years in foster care and in boys facilities. Today, George is a college graduate, the director of programs for youth in foster care, and a nationally recognized motivational speaker, comedian and trainer, as well as a devoted father and husband.

Naomi Hanes-Griffith, MA, MSW. She holds a B.S. from University of North Alabama, an M.A. from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and a Master in Social Work from the University of Alabama. Since 1988, Naomi has become a national speaker and consultant on child welfare issues speaking at conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. A well-known storyteller and family systems specialist, she uses humor and her own experiences to challenge and inspire audiences in business, education, juvenile justice, mental health, child abuse prevention, and family violence systems.   After teaching several years, she worked in the North Carolina and Alabama child welfare systems from 1966 to 1984 when she became Executive Director of PACT, a pioneer child abuse prevention agency she helped to found. From 1994 to 1997, she served on the State Board of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

William “Bill” Myers, has a background in psychology and working in the mental health and clinic facilities. Bill is Co-Producer of the film, “Incest: A Family Tragedy.”  Participants will be viewing highlights of the film with commentary from Mr. Myers while learning about the hidden world of sexual molestation. Information will be shared from the viewpoint  of the victims, law enforcement, offenders and more. The film will be available for purchase onsite. 

Angie Marcum, Drug Court Administrator, and Stacy Williams, Area IV Independent Living Specialist, University of Oklahoma National Resource Center for Youth Services, will be facilitating presentations by Drug Court and Teen Impact Panel Participants. Learn about their downfall and following success. Learn how drugs impact the family from different perspectives.

 CALL TONYA (580) 745-2320 to enroll now!

Sponsored by Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Departments of Behavioral Sciences & Continuing Education

6th Annual Behavioral Sciences Scholarship Workshop

Friday, September 19, 2008    8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Registration 8 - 8:30 a.m.)

Durant, Oklahoma - SOSU, Old Student Union Ballroom, 5th Street

Registration fee: $75 by September 1 ($85 after September 1)

    SOSU Faculty/Staff/Students with current id $25 by Sept. 1 ($30 after Sept 1)

Course # 0202-3282

(Oklahoma LPC, LMFT: 6 contact hours have been approved.  LADC - pending)

This workshop is designed for mental health professionals and meets the continuing education needs for those employed in Oklahoma and Texas. Proceeds from the workshop fund departmental scholarships for students.  The Behavioral Sciences Scholarship Workshop is an opportunity to interact with SOSU's Faculty, Staff, and Students.

Reba J. Criswell, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist, Assistant Professor and School Counseling Program Coordinator, Department of Behavioral Sciences

    Counseling Children with Asperger's Syndrome: Why Child-Centered Play Therapy Works!

Charla R. Hall, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist, and Chair, Department of Behavioral Sciences

    Positive Psychology: The Basics

Deana Williams, Ph.D., Department of Behavioral Sciences

    Career Counseling Across the Life Span: An Intervention

Hallie Stephens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Program Coordinator, Department of Behavioral Sciences

    Adolescent Drug Use: Old Concerns and New Trends