Annual Mindfulness Course for Health-Care & Other Professionals in Halifax NS

MINDFULNESS
for Health-Care & Other Professionals:

An 8-week Immersion in Self-care

Dr. John Lovas
Thursday Evenings, 5:30 – 8:00 pm, early October – November Each Year

Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS, Canada

Course Synopsis
          Working in health care, other professions, and life in general, is very stressful at times. Yet to truly enjoy life, and best serve our patients, clients, coworkers, families and society, we ourselves need to be healthy. Effective, regular self-care is not only sensible, but also a professional responsibility. Mindfulness – a universal, but underdeveloped way of relating both realistically and kindly to ourselves and the world – is becoming a well-recognized foundation of self-care. 

          This continuing education course is designed for health-care & other professionals who spend an unhealthy portion of their time & energy caring for everyone but themselves. The course provides a unique opportunity to learn about and experience a profoundly beneficial program of self-care practices. 

          Not simply a technique, mindfulness is a state of being “that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” (Kabat-Zinn) Mindfulness training “increases awareness of thoughts, emotions, and maladaptive ways of responding to stress, thereby helping participants learn to cope with stress in healthier, more effective ways.” (Bishop et al)

Course Objectives
          Participants will learn and practice sitting meditation, walking meditation, qi gong breathing, standing meditation, and partake (voluntary) in discussions about integrating mindfulness into our professional and private lives.
          Intended audience: Dental, medical, mental health, social work, legal & other professionals. You and your entire office are invited to engage in a profoundly positive transformative learning experience. Attendance is limited to 20. Participants are encouraged to engage in daily practice. We derive from this practice precisely what we put into it.
         

John G.L. Lovas BSc, DDS, MSc, FRCD(C)  

          Dr. Lovas obtained science and dental degrees from the University of Toronto, and specialty training in oral pathology at the University of Western Ontario. He’s served as chief examiner in oral pathology for the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and as president of the Canadian Academy of Oral Pathology. Dr. Lovas was full-time faculty at the Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, teaching oral pathology & oral medicine for 31 years, and served as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs until his retirement in 2014. He obtained teacher-training in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at UMass Medical Center, the Omega Institute in New York, and the Rochester Medical School. For over ten years Dr. Lovas has been leading Mindfulness workshops for dental, dental hygiene, medical, law and other students, practitioners and staff.

Course Schedule
5:30 – 6:00 pm Registration and light dinner
6:00 – 8:00 pm Thursday evenings

Please note that we will postpone any sessions that the majority cannot attend or for inclement weather. 

Participants are expected to attend at least 7 of the 8 sessions. Positive group dynamics depend on consistent attendance and participation.

For fees, registration, please contact:

CDE Office          Phone: (902) 494-1674        Email: dentcde@dal.ca

See also:              http://jglovas.wix.com/awarenessnow#!courses/cfvg

CREDITS  16 hours of lecture

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