(This is part 1 of a 2-part course.)
Nathaniel Branden defines self-esteem as: "the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness." This interactive workshop will focus on a concept fundamental to healthy independent self-esteem development: self-acceptance. Concepts and applications Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Compassionate Mind Training will be used to explain maladaptive thinking/behavior and address obstacles to self-acceptance, such as excessive self-criticism and self-shaming tendencies. Small group discussion, self-assessment, and guided exercises will take place in these two dynamic sessions.
Walter Foddis is a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Waterloo. His doctoral research focuses on understanding how people's sources of self-esteem impact their behavior and psychological functioning.
Arena Mueller earned her Psy.D. in 2006 from the Adler School of Professional Psychology. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a post-doctoral residency at The University of Texas-San Antonio, and is now a Psychology Resident at Bowling Green State University. Arena primarily works doing individual and group therapy with students coping with adjustment, depression, and anxiety.