CONFERENCE 2015
Bounce
living the resilient life
November 16, 2015, Makati City
Bounce was a one-day workshop for professionals to learn about practicing resilience, self-care, living fully, and how the expressive arts can boost this practice. Keynote speaker Dr. Robert Wicks is a psychologist who specializes in burnout in helping professions.
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Duyan was graciously sponsored by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office; Medichem Pharmaceuticals, Inc. the CNS division of UNILAB; Jackbilt Industries; ABJ Foundation; and Pru Life UK.
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Services and products featured in this conference were offered by The Philippine Neurofeedback Center (Mindworks), National Bookstore, and Derm Factor Essentials.
STORIES FROM THE COMMUNITY
It came at the right time when I feel so stressed at work and this event made me slow down a bit and go back to the reason why I am working. Without a healthy body, I cannot work. So it's a wake up call to give myself a break.
Participant, 45
It was the reminder that we have control over all aspects of our lives and that we are capable to creating a atmosphere that would stray from stress being a negative but unavoidable factor but instead creating an atmosphere of relieving it and using it as a positive motivator for better resilience.
Participant, 23
The lessons are very practical. You can apply it in whatever field you are in.
Artist
In a way, the seminar was able to remind me that stress is a reality, and has given me ways to equip myself in managing it.
Dr. Wicks' talk was for me the most valuable in that he was able to integrate real-life situations with his clinical theories on stress management.
Educator
What struck me was when he said that we are not in the success business but in the faithfulness business and his advice to leave the world behind before going home. It is important to settle myself further so I can be mindful of the present. Another is offering the presence to others. If we have the right spirit (simplicity and mindfulness) then we can offer people to experience their gifts and their pain in the most positive way. Establish inner calmness.
Educator
Speakers and Facilitators
Robert J. Wicks
Psychologist, Author, and Speaker
Robert Wicks is a clinical psychologist and leading writer about the intersection of spirituality and psychology. Wicks is a well known speaker, therapist, and spiritual guide who for more than thirty years has been teaching at universities and professional schools of psychology, medicine, nursing, theology, and social work. He is a professor of Pastoral Counseling at Loyola University Maryland.
He is a recipient of the The Holy Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, the highest medal that can be awarded to the laity by the Papacy for distinguished service to the Roman Catholic Church.
Wicks has spoken on Capitol Hill to Members of Congress and their chiefs of staff, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and at Harvard’s Children’s Hospital on his major area of expertise: the prevention of secondary stress (the pressures encountered in reaching out to others). He has also addressed 10,000 educators in the Air Canada Arena in Toronto, spoken at the FBI Academy, led a weeklong course in Paris, and addressed caregivers in Beijing, Hanoi, and Northern Ireland.
In 2006, Wicks delivered presentations on self-care at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and Walter Reed Army Hospital to those health care professionals responsible for Iraqi and Afghan war veterans evacuated to the U.S. with multiple amputations and severe head injuries. Also in 2006, Wicks received the first annual Alumni Award for Excellence in Professional Psychology from Widener University and is also the recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Counseling Association's Division on Ethics and Values.
Wicks has published over 40 books for both professionals and the general public. His most renowned book is entitled Riding the Dragon.
Thelma Singson Barrera is the Program Director for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support at the Department of Health. She is also currently the acting Assistant Chief Nurse at the Infirmary Pavillon. Barrera, a Mental Health and Psychiatric Nurse and Psychological Care Specialist, has extensive experience and is one of the leading figures in Psychosocial Support in the Philippines.
Barrera started her work and advocacy in Disaster Nursing in 1990, after the killer earthquake in Central Luzon. Particularly, she worked on the provision of psychological support to post-disaster/trauma survivors. Since then, she became a member of Psychosocial Response teams as a responder, team leader, trainer, and director, present in the aftermath of various disasters in the country, including these 2013 states of emergencies: the Zamboanga crisis / armed conflict, the Bohol earthquake, and the super typhoon Yolanda.
She has received awards from the Department of Health in the Philippines, Ministry of Health in Indonesia, and is currently ranked among the Top 3 Outstanding Nurses in government service within the National League of Philippine Government Nurses.
Barrera’s experience and advocacy has not limited her to fieldwork; she is also a widely-travelled international resource speaker and workshop and programme facilitator, and has contributed content to publications by the Department of Health. Her directorship at the Department of Health’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support cluster incorporates principles of the Expressive Arts as a non-intrusive way to provide support.
Thelma Singson Barrera, RN
National Center for Mental Health
Psychiatric Nurse and Psychological Care Specialist
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Psychosocial wellness
MAGIS sees Psychosocial Wellness as an important matter to be addressed in the Philippines. The country’s colonial history, disaster-prone geographical location, and unbalanced economy that leaves us vulnerable to stress has grown today’s Filipino people to be highly resilient. However, MAGIS sees the need to emphasise on a holistic approach to resilience, which encompasses not just the outward functionality of an individual, but also inner growth: self-awareness and mindfulness.
Falling near the the 2nd anniversary after Typhoon Haiyan, the signature event is a timely opportunity for Robert Wicks to address psychosocial support volunteers, counsellors, teachers, human resource practitioners and humanitarian aid workers. Supporting workshops to be run by local organizations guarantee a sense of continuity in the learning and enrichment experience of the event. The workshop will cover: burnout, self-care and stress management through psychosocial support, Expressive Arts, formation, and psychological first aid.
There is also an opportunity to purchase Dr. Wicks’ book, Riding the Dragon, during the event.
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