|
2009 GRACE Conference Class Choices
Sign up for all classes in a single track or mix and match to meet your individual needs |
|||
|
|||
| Grief and Loss Track | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| A1 | Staying Afloat in Deep Grief: Will Mourning Ever End?: Managing the deep sadness and depression of a pregnancy or infant loss Grieving takes everything out of those who are bereaved. Mind, body, and spirit are stressed to the max and tomorrow may not look any better. Dr. Deborah Simmons and Holly Hedlund, bereaved mom of eight babies, will help you learn how to live in the moment, even when it is painful. You will learn how to sustain your energy on your worst days and to recognize and notice moments of relief and hope on better days. You can discover ways to refocus and find yourself again. Open yourself to the possibility of healing after tragic loss. | Dr Deborah Simmons and Holly Hedlund | |
| A2 | Death of an Equation: Christian teaching and preaching is full of quick equations and verses quoted out of context. Join us as we let go of easy answers and find a faith that can live even after the equation dies. | Judy Howard Peterson | |
| A3 | The Great Divide: Choosing Life After Recurring Loss: Learning to live above and beyond the grief, rising above our emotional defaults so that we don’t just survive, but truly learn to live. | Judy Howard Peterson | |
| A4 |
Keeping Your Marriage Strong in the Wake of Grief’s Storm:
Tim will share about grief being a journey, a process, that will be woven into the bereaved parent's lives from this point forward. That does not mean they will never be happy again, but most likely this experience has changed them forever. By recognizing, understanding, and being comfortable with their "new normal" they have the opportunity to grow as individuals and as a couple. This growth can be one of the greatest gifts their child's life offers them, and it's a choice as to whether to move ahead or get stuck. By being at this conference, they have already chosen to seek renewal and hope, and have taken a huge step forward. |
Tim Nelson | |
| A5 | Ask the Doctor: Q & A discussion about past pregnancies. Parents who have experienced a stillbirth, multiple losses or have had a baby born alive with cord or placenta related complications will find this session helpful. | Dr. Jason H. Collins | |
|
|
|||
| Subsequent Pregnancy Track (Pregnancy Following Loss) | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| B1 | Overcoming the Grip of Fear and Anxiety: Fears can be reduced when finding out there are methods and measures that can be taken to prevent from having another loss. Discuss what tests, monitoring and care are available while receiving encouragement and support for the anxieties that naturally surface for women in subsequent pregnancies. | Jodi Regan, MD, OB/GYN | |
| B2 | Protecting Your Pregnancy: Parents will be empowered and given concrete ways to obtain best care and advocate for themselves and their babies while pregnant; through finding a greater understanding of the importance of partnering with care providers, listening to instincts as well as signs and symptoms of fetal stress including options available to moms for care such as home-fetal monitoring. | Melissa Gemmell | |
|
|
|||
| Infertility Track | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| C1 | Surviving the Infertility Emotional Rollercoaster: Addressing the deep emotional ups, downs and disappointments of infertility while opening the door to paths for support, comfort, and resolution. | Tom and Ashley Jensen | |
| C2 | Medical Treatment Options and Answers that Address Infertility: Reproductive Endocrinologist, OB/GYN and Genetic Counselor panel describe causes of infertility and offer latest technologies and approaches available for treating infertility and achieving pregnancy. | Bruce Campbell, MD, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Jodi Regan, MD, OB/GYN, Centra Care, Genetic Counselor TBD | |
|
|
|||
| Adoption Track | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| D1 | Opening the Door to Adoption: Adoption Agency Panel: Ask the question "Are we ready to adopt?" Agency representatives will help supply the questions to consider when looking at exploring adoption as an option for your family. Find out what first steps to take to begin the process. | Panel of agencies facilitated by Vivian Medeck | |
| D2 | Domestic Vs. International Adoption: Explore Which Option is Best for You: Panel of parents who have adopted will share their perspective and experience of domestic and international adoptions. | Panel of adoptive parents facilitated by Rick Gibson, MSW, LGSW | |
|
|
|||
| Health and Wellness Track | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| E1 | Finding Peace in Mind/Body/Spirit During Infertility or After Loss: Feel weighed down by your emotions? Want to "feel better" but can't figure out how? Learn the 5 steps to creating peace in mind/body/spirit during infertility or after loss. You'll learn how your body holds onto painful memories and thoughts even when you're ready to release them. And, most importantly, you'll experience a variety of techniques that you can continue to use after the conference. | Jennifer Bloome | |
| E2 | Extreme Makeover for a Healthy Home Life: How to get started making and maintaining the changes necessary to have a healthy home life for yourself and your family. Aspects addressed: nutrition, household dangers and alternative for cleaning products, drinking water, air purification, personal care products and obtaining work/life balance. | Ayanna Quamina | |
| E3 | Raising Kids Holistically and Creating a Foundation of Wellbeing: Parents will be provided with tools for implementing holistic health changes for their babies and children even on tight budgets. Nutrition, vitamins, vaccines, ways to treat common illness (cold, flu, earache, pink eye) and ideas for creative family activities will be addressed. | Nichole Hirsch Kuechle | |
| E4 | A Holistic Approach to Achieving Pregnancy: Variety of approaches are presented to help achieve pregnancy including nutrition, supplements, exercise, acupuncture and positive thinking from naturopath doctor and licensed acupuncturist, Nicole Lange. | Nicole Lange | |
|
|
|||
| Professional Track with Continuing Education Credits (for Caregivers) | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| P1 | Best Practice of Care for the Patient at the Time of a Perinatal Loss: Go beyond the basics, giving compassionate care from hospital to home for bereaved parents and learn to match your care to the individual needs of each family. Video and pictures demonstrate meaningful memory making moments that last a lifetime from the eye of the camera and the perspective of the parents experiencing a perinatal loss. | Candy McVicar, Founder and Executive Director, Missing GRACE Foundation | |
| P2 | The Culturally Diverse Grief Kaleidoscope: Discover truths about the cultural profiles of the African-American, Native American, Latino, Hmong and Somali populations and receive an overall appreciation of their cosmology; and how both the cultural and belief systems affect differently the way the families deal with end of life issues and grief, specifically grief related to pregnancy and infant loss. | Sandra Hager Eliason, M.D. Director of Medical Programs, Center for Cross Cultural Health | |
| P3 | The Human Umbilical Cord: Update 2009: Increase your awareness of Umbilical Cord Pathology and its impact on pregnancy and learn how Umbilical Cord Pathology can be identified and managed during pregnancy. | Dr. Jason H. Collins, MD, OB/GYN, President of the Pregnancy Institute | |
| P4 |
Only OB health care professionals permitted in this class. Ultrasound Umbilical Cord Review: Live demonstration with third trimester patients using Ultrasound technology for showing the ability to see the umbilical cord and structure, while evaluating the difference in use of black and white and color Ultrasound for Umbilical Cord evaluation. |
Dr. Jason H. Collins, MD, OB/GYN, President of the Pregnancy Institute | |
|
|
|||
| Friends & Family Class (Intended for friends and family members of grieving, infertile, adoptive individuals and couples) | |||
| Class # | Topic | Speaker | |
| FF | Friends & Family: As a friend or family member of a grieving or infertile couple it can be difficult to know how best to support and walk along side your loved one in their journey. Find support and encouragement for your own sense of loss, disappointment and fears, while learning ways to talk about it and be helpful and present to their needs too. Open yourself to compassion and reality, loss and hope as you learn how best to help a bereaved loved one. And remember, we are all in this together. No one has to do this alone. Presented by Dr. Deborah Simmons and panel representing the friends and family of grieving/infertile couples. | Dr Deborah Simmons and panel of bereaved or infertile family members | |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||