Events and Workshops

Growth ~ Guidance ~ Healing ~ Education ~ Training ~ Consultation

Group Therapy: Meaningful Change Happens in Relationship

In addition to the seminars and workshops offered by our staff, Third Coast also offers several group therapy options. Group therapy offers a unique counterpart, and a powerful complement, to individual therapy. It is a place to experience a broader support network, to receive a variety of perspectives on life events, and it provides a safe place to practice healthy interpersonal skills and communication techniques.
 
Here at Third Coast, our groups are carefully designed to offer space and support for self-exploration and increased awareness of personal distortions and fears. The outcome is a greater experience of interdependence and self-acceptance. These opportunities  for self-discovery lead to a more refined reality of self, and the chance to test new perceptions.
 
 Details:
At present, there are three open groups. Individuals interested in joining will be asked to begin with one or more individual sessions before entering the group. We ask that you make a six month commitment. There is a four "skip" policy per year. Insurance is accepted, and those without insurance may be eligible for a reduced (sliding scale) fee. 

1) Monday Group: This group is an open-ended, co-ed group that meets every Monday from 7-8:30pm.
2) Wednesday Group #1: This is an open-ended women's group that meets every other Wednesday from 7-8:30pm.
3) Wednesday Group #2: This is an open-ended, co-ed group that meets every other Wednesday from 6-7:30pm.

For more information on joining, or to make a referral, call 616.451.3008 and speak with either Cecilia Skidmore, Deb Spoors, or James Mitchell. 

 

Workshops and Seminars

The following are a list of public workshops that have been offered in the past by the Third Coast staff, and are an example of the variety of possible topics for future workshops/seminars. If you are interested in scheduling a specific workshop for your business, school, church or community group, please contact us!
 
Seminars offered by Janice DeLange, Ph.D.
 
Feeling Good: Managing Your Moods
This seminar provides information on practical methods to prevent "the blues" and bouts of depression, as well as tips on understanding and relating to a loved one or household member who suffers from depression.

Feeling Worthy: Enhancing Your Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is learned. That means that if you have low self-esteem, you are not stuck with it! Discover some techniques to increase your sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and joy in life.




Why Do Women and Men Communicate So Differently?
Venus and Mars? As we grow up, both sexes learn different patterns of communication that often lead to misunderstandings at home and at work. Developing ways to improve our handling of these differences can result in increased understanding in both personal and business relationships.



Getting What You Want--and What You Need
"Ask and it shall be given." So why don't we get what we want? Thoughts are energy, and feelings follow thoughts--therefore, our beliefs about ourselves affect what we get in life. Explore the power you have to get what you want by deliberately "intending" your desire. Discover your blocking beliefs about yourself and
ways to change them.

Overcoming the Effects of Abuse and Trauma
Trauma comes in many forms--physical, emotional, sexual, and also in the lack of a loving or nurturing environment. Effects may be lifelong, often resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can enable a person to move beyond the experienced trauma, and toward healing. (Read more about EMDR in Dr. DeLange's article here.)




Seminars offered by James Mitchell, MA, MA, LMSW

Families and Family Dynamics
This presentation examines the ways in which families work, and provides tools on how to help families function in healthy ways.


Parenting for the 21st Century
This presentation focuses on healthy parenting techniques for our modern, high-tech, "wired" culture.


Your Child, Popular Culture, and the Media
This presentation focuses on how to deal with your child and his/her interaction with TV, music, advertising, and video games.


Simple Methods for Dealing with Depression
This presentation helps individuals develop tools to treat mild depression.


Looking at the Stories We Tell About Ourselves
"The stories we tell ourselves, particularly the silent or barely audible ones, are very powerful. They become invisible enclosures. Rooms with no air. One must open the window to see further, the door to possibility…. How to tell a story without fashioning it along the prefabricated lines? . . . . we are immersed in an old story and cannot see what is happening."

~Susan Griffin, from  A Chorus of Stones: The Private Life of War.

We define ourselves, our families, and our communities by the stories we tell about ourselves. This presentation examines how stories shape us, as well as how we can change our stories in order to redefine ourselves.



How Your Brain Works: Interpersonal Neurobiology
Our brains are social organs that affect both our interactions with those around us and our inner lives. This presentation examines in a brief and understandable way how our brain works.




Seminars offered by Cecilia Skidmore, MA, LPC


Church Leadership: Through the Lens of Personality
This workshop focuses on the importance of getting the right fit in each leadership team. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is used as an important tool in recognizing the strengths of each team member, as well as the possible conflicts that may emerge in collaborative work. 



Welcoming as Practice: in Relationships, Groups, and Organizations
In this workshop participants consider and practice the art of connecting with each other and with new group members.


Helping Children Cope with Loss
Children experience many losses. Most of these do not have to do with death, but nevertheless can have the same impact on their development as the death of a loved one. Examples include divorce, retention in school, changes in relationships/friendships, and cultural differences. This workshop provides information and tools to help your children learn skills to cope with these inevitable life changes.
 
Self-Esteem Development
This presentation is for everyone, not just kids. It focuses on attachment styles which provide the foundation for one's self-esteem.




Seminars offered by Deb Spoors, MA, LLP


Keeping the Love You Find--The Imago Way
Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., developer of Imago Relationship Theory, has designed a system to explain how relationships work, how they become vulnerable, and how to strengthen them to increase a couple's mutual satisfaction.

See Deb's website for more information on Imago therapy.


Being the Adult You Were Meant to Be: Attachment, Exploration, Identity, and Competence
Our character is in a dynamic state of constant expansion. That's a flashy way of saying that you have choicces about the kind of person you'd like to be. Come and participate in creative exploration, and begin shifting your character!


Dealing with Anxiety
Worry, anxiety, tension, sleep loss, loss of appetite, lethargy: these are all symptoms of a condition that can interrupt a healthy lifestyle. Learn more about what gets in the way of you living the life you want, and what you can do about it.


The Group Therapy Experience
Working individually with a therapist has a specific function that becomes even more powerful when combined with the energy and strength of the group. Learn about the specific place of group work in the therapeutic experience.


Living with Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder isn't a life sentence without hope. Learn what you can do to feel better, live with less complication in relationships, and generally slow down the rollercoaster ride.


Bipolar Disorder and Kids
More commonly diagnosed than ever, kids with bipolar disorder have a different symptom constellation than adults. Learn about how to involve kids in their early treatment, and to be active participants in this life-long experience.


Supporting Families Living with Chronic Mental Illness: Sometimes It's Easy, Sometimes It's Really Not
How do you stay out of the madness? Who makes the care decisions? How much involvement should a mentally ill adult have in care options? Share your experiences and receive support in the struggle.


How to Select a Therapist
There are things you can do to educate yourself, and tools that will assist you in making this important choice.