Ouachita Baptist University’s Pruet School of Christian Studies will host the sixth annual Conference on Issues in Christian Counseling Friday, Feb. 26, in Walker Conference Center. Highlighting the issue of “Depression,” the 2016 conference is sponsored by Ouachita, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
A new feature of this year’s conference will be an opening ministers banquet to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, also in Walker. An additional ministry focus is an afternoon breakout session option during on applying counseling skills to current youth issues for youth ministers.
The keynote speaker for both the ministers banquet and the conference is Dr. Frank Page, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. He is the author of several books and publications, including his family’s personal journey shared in Melissa: A Father’s Lessons from a Daughter’s Suicide.
Event coordinator Dr. William Viser, professor of Christian ministries at Ouachita, said he hopes “the conference will de-stigmatize the problem of depression in the church and give pastors, professionals and nurses more effective tools for dealing with an individual’s depression.”
“We need all the trained professionals that we can get into the field to deal with the overwhelming problem of depression today,” Viser added.
Continuing Education credit approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) is available to licensed alcohol and abuse, professional and marriage and family counselors; national career counselors; nursing professionals; and social work professionals.
In addition to professionals and pastors, the conference is open to their spouses and full-time college students.
The conference is scheduled to begin on Friday at 8 a.m. The day will consist of two large group sessions, and participants also will have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions of their choice.
Following Page’s keynote, morning breakout session topics include “Ethical Considerations with Therapy-Resistant Clients” and “Darkness to Light.”
Another large group session, titled “When Helping You Is Killing Me: Recognizing the Pitfalls of Caregivers and What the Caregiver Can Do about Them,” will be led by Viser during lunch.
Afternoon breakout sessions topics include “Depression and Counseling for People of Faith,” “Depression: Illness or Choice,” “Cultural and Social Construct Influences on Depression and Individual Responses,” “Pharmacotherapeutic Management of Depression,” “Dark Nights and Depression: Exploring Salutary Depression for Believers,” “Pastoral Care of the Depressed Person,” “Test Everything and Hold onto What Is Good: Using Christian Cognitive Therapy for Treating Depression in Teens” and “Ministry Skills for Youth Ministers.”
Registration for the banquet and conference are available at www.obu.edu/iccconf16. The cost for the ministers banquet is $10, which includes dinner and one copy of Page’s book, Melissa: A Father’s Lesson from a Daughter’s Suicide. The cost for the conference is $100 for mental health professionals, nurses and social workers; $70 for pastors and youth ministers; and $20 for full-time students and spouses of participants. The registration fee includes up to seven NBCC clock hours, a certificate of attendance, handouts for sessions attended, morning and afternoon snacks and lunch. Late fees will apply for registrations after Feb. 19.
For more information, contact Tracey Knight at (870) 245-5599 or knightte@obu.edu.
By Rachel Gaddis
