Finding healing through meaning: Conference to equip those in relationship-based professions
Psychology conference on healing through meaning and mindfulness, July 22-24 in Vancouver, B.C. Featured speakers: ECE educator and author Nancy Fischer, co-author with Goldie Hawn; Grief and suffering expert, Dr. Paul Wong, author researcher, counsellor and psychology professor

/Mental Health News Articles/ - LANGLEY, BC, CANADA, July 12, 2005—Dr. Paul T. P. Wong, author, researcher, counsellor and psychology professor at Trinity Western University, has studied the potential of healing through meaning and spirituality for many decades, and he's now making that expertise available to the public. "Times of uncertainty and rapid social change often serve to awaken people's need for meaning and spirituality," says Dr. Wong. "These workshops will provide signposts to facilitate the discovery of hope, faith and joy."

From July 22 to 24 at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver, the International Network of Personal Meaning (INPM) is offering the Summer Institute, a three-day conference aimed at teaching attendees how to be more effectively help others find meaning and freedom. Dr. Wong and Nancy Fischer will be the featured guests of the fourth bi-annual institute.

"To live a full life, we need to find meaning in our work and ultimately in our existence," says Dr. Wong. "During the conference, I'm going to be talking about a meaning-centred approach that is holistic and evidence-based. It will give people the skills to help restore hope and meaning for their friends, family members or clients who are struggling with brokenness and despair. But what I want people to understand is that who we are is more important than the techniques we learn."

The Summer Institute is expected to be a valuable resource for professionals who engage with people on a personal level: counsellors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, clergy, coaches, consultants, occupational therapists, educators and students are all encouraged to take advantage of the conference.

Additionally, this year the institute has a particular focus on the psychology of children.
Award-winning early childhood educator and author Nancy Fischer will teach on "Mindfulness Education (ME) for Children." As the Executive Director of Goldie Hawn's U.S.-based charity Bright Light Foundation, and co-author of "Mind Power for Children" with John Kehoe, Fischer will share highly successful techniques for helping children create their own positive attitudes towards the world, themselves and their opportunities in life. Fischer believes it's important to teach children how to think as opposed to simply what to think. She is currently writing a new book with Goldie Hawn for educators and parents on mindfulness education for children.

But Fischer isn't the only one working with celebrities. Dr. Wong is currently working with documentary filmmaker John Drimmer, executive producer of six primetime series broadcasts in the U.S., and John Parker, the director of Veterans and Families in Sacramento. They will use the film to investigate Dr. Wong's positive meaning-oriented approach to trauma and suffering and how it can help veterans.

Conference: Exploring the Healing Potentials of Meaning and Mindfulness
Date: Friday July 22 to Sunday July 24, 2005
Location: Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox St., Vancouver
Featured Speakers: Paul T.P. Wong, Ph.D. and Nancy Fischer
To register: www.meaning.ca
Contact: Dr. Lilian Wong (604) 649-8289; wong@twu.ca
Sponsor: International Network on Personal Meaning (INPM)



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