Topic: Putting on your Oxygen Mask: Mindfulness for Adults who work with Kids
Life can be filled with worry, distraction, and emotional pain. Living a rich and full life is often not about getting rid of challenges but changing our relationship to our challenges. This session will teach basic mindfulness and meditation principles that can be applied in your personal life so you can be present to the joys and challenges of working with children and adolescents. Ideas for engaging children in mindfulness activities will also be discussed.

Shawn L. Christiansen is a professor of Family Life and Human Development at Southern Utah University. He has also taught at Penn State Scranton and Central Washington University. He has an M.S. from Brigham Young University in Family Life Education, an M.S.W. from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in Individual and Family Studies. He has published and presented in the areas of mindfulness, father involvement, service learning, experiential learning, and Japanese families and culture. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice, he uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to teach clients mindfulness skills to deal with anxiety and depression. In his work with couples, he uses Emotionally Focused Therapy and The Gottman Method to help couples through conflict and create more emotional connection. He enjoys yoga, meditation, hiking, cycling, travel, music, movies, and spending time with his wife Tiffiney and their four children and three grandchildren.