Attending the Yankton Area Mental Wellness Conference puts a lift in my step, a shift in my knowledge base and a great appreciation for the sharing of experiences from the experts that are an integral part of this community and those that come from afar.
The conference started out with a keynote address by Dr. Mark Britzman, from SDSU, on ethics. This topic may sound a tad boring but his message was inspiring, humorous and down right sensible! If we base our thinking, relationships and actions on the characteristics of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship, our decisions will be made with character. One of his many quotes, “the pain of regret is much greater than the pain of self discipline” brought his point of ethical behavior into focus. He described character as ethics in action, moral strength, doing the right thing even when no one is looking and doing right even when it costs you. He shared counseling, teaching and parenting experiences that enlightened the audience in how he strives each day for an ethical life. His additional workshops, “Ethics of Personal Relationship”, “Raising Ethically Minded Children” and “Ethics in the Workplace” continued to illustrate how the six pillars of character can be woven into all of our life’s experiences. You can glimpse his credentials, writings and opportunities via his internet site - pursuingthegoodlife.com.
Dr. Timothy Soundy shared research information that is a result of science at work in Sioux Falls. Genetics and environment are key components in the life of every person. Within a few minutes of his message, I realized my calling as a scientist was barely a whisper and it would have been a disaster even putting on a lab coat! However, sharing the scientific discoveries to a huge room of human service people was certainly impressive even though the charts on the screen were a bit over our heads.
The second day began with a presentation of WRAP, World View & System’s Transformation by Matthew Federici. As a person with mental wellness and having experienced this method of treatment where his individual issues and needs were met for a recovery transformation. He is now able to speak about this method of treating mental illness to large audiences, to travel, to enjoy a fulfilling career as well as a happy marriage and family life.
Dr. James Beddow from Miner County Community Revitalization spoke on the necessity for we as individuals, employees and businesses get connected in the world of social networking BUT be attentive on the information that is shared. It is not going away and it is a fast method of communication and it is another tool in which to invite people to be part of your organization.
The conference concluded by laughing. We laughed just to laugh, we laughed at and with each other and we laughed to relieve stress. Dan and Jill Johnson led us in Laughter Yoga that involved various exercises to laugh! With this technique it breaks tension and promotes a positive workplace. Laughter encourages self-esteem, cooperation, creative thinking and job satisfaction. Laughter Yoga was the perfect ending after sitting through two days of conference. If you notice people just laughing for no apparent reason, now they can say they are practicing Laughter Yoga!!
When people register for this conference they have these five group presentations to attend plus 36 other workshops from which to select. Mount Marty College is hopping with over 250 people bustling from class to class, chatting about their favorite workshop, sharing career information or earning professional or college credits. Next year’s conference - The 13th Annual Mental Wellness Conference is June 8 – 9, 2011 at Mount Marty College with the theme, “Chemistry for Mental Health: Brain, Personal, Relationships, Life!” I may have to dust off my chemistry books to get geared up for this! However, I know that it will once again be a very fine product due to the collaboration that occurs between those who serve on the Planning Committee.
One of the United Way agencies that work with our youngest and greatest resource is Parents As Teachers. When families participate in this program, the children and this community benefits with this jump start in their education and development.
“Open the bag!” Is the statement that Parent Educator Lisa Koerselman hears frequently on her monthly visits to families in Yankton County. When she walks into a house the toddler knows that there is something exciting in that bag. One visit it could be the supplies to make a puppet to practice talking about emotions and the next time it could be sponges to develop the muscles needed to use scissors. For the next hour the educator, child and parent spend time focused just on the child and the relationship between parent and child. By fostering this relationship, Yankton County Parents as Teachers is hoping to reach its goal of helping parents become their child’s best and first teacher.
Each month Yankton County Parents as Teachers visits around 25 families of children under the age of three providing child development activities and parent education. The families are given books, ideas for age appropriate activities, and helpful information about what their child is going through at that stage in his or her life. Parents are also given the opportunity to meet other parents when they attend group parent meetings held throughout the year on a wide range of topics.
YCPAT has also started offering the Responsive Parenting class three times a year. This is a six-week series that allows parents a chance to learn what their infants and toddlers are trying to tell them and how to respond in a way that makes sense to that child.
If you have any questions or would like more information regarding the Parents as Teachers program in Yankton County, please feel free to contact Lisa Koerselman at 661-4833 or at yanktonpat@gmail.com.