Holy Influence

Who would you like to influence for good? Serving, helping, and explaining are not the only ways – and sometimes not the best ways – to benefit others. Learn how some simple questions and approaches can inspire and empower others to identify their values and goals, address their problems, make plans, take action, and learn from setbacks – all without you taking over and doing it for them (good luck with that anyway, right?). These simple coaching skills can help you increase your influence with family members, ward members, friends, co-workers, and (perhaps most importantly) with yourself – helping you and others pursue a more meaningful and satisfying life.

Dialing Back on Busy

In almost every conversation lately I hear us telling each other how busy we are – with kids, work, callings, travel, households, personal goals, and spiritual expectations. We want to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause,” would you like less of the “anxious” and more of the simply “good.” Join us for a day to explore the sources, effects, and costs of your personal busyness. Consider ways to more peacefully invest in meaning, delight, self-compassion, and growth – without quite so much busy. And if the busy is truly inevitable, learn how to own it with less resentment and more hope.

Receiving Personal Revelation

Seven years ago, President Russel M. Nelson warned, “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost…. I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.” How can we increase this capacity? What fears or failures slow us down? We will explore concepts like stillness, trust, resilience, rest, repentance, safety, risk, and love to deepen our understanding of – and, yes, capacity to receive – revelation.

“They found Him in the Temple”

The How of Hope

We often think of hope as a cross-your-fingers wish that luck will go our way. But this kind of hope can be seriously compromised by yesterday’s traumas or regrets or tomorrow’s uncertainties and unknowns. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, however, hope is not just a wish. It is the hinge-point between faith in Christ and Christ-like charity for others. Join us for a rich exploration of what it takes to live in realistic but genuine hope – hope that is a learnable skill, a spiritual gift, and an ever-present possibility.

Skills for Peacemakers

We’ve been invited by prophets and apostles to be peacemakers in our homes and communities and to find more peace in our personal lives. Peace is not just the absence of disagreement or inner turmoil however, but managing conflict skillfully to get to deeper understanding, better problem-solving, increased influence with others, and more genuine forgiveness. What do scriptures and sound research teach about generating this kind of peace in ourselves, our families, and our communities?

Forgiving – What it Means & How it’s Done

When we’ve been betrayed by someone we trusted we deserve the peace that comes through forgiving. This is especially true when we have betrayed – and need to forgive – ourselves. But it is easy to get stuck in the forgiveness process and not know how to move forward. We’ll come to a deeper understanding of the principles of forgiveness and apply them to an issue of your choice.

Drawing His Power into Your Life

How can women with priesthood authority also develop priesthood power? Priesthood authority is routinely given to women and men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to lead, teach, serve, and perform sacred ordinances. However, priesthood power comes only through personal righteousness, skills of compassion and influence, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit – all based in the example of Jesus Christ.

Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints

When it feels like we’re on a runaway train, mindfulness returns us to a place above the fray where we can observe our thoughts and feelings without jumping on board with them. Just a little regular practice with mindfulness can help us feel calmer, more present and engaged in our lives, more spiritually connected, and more aware of positive choices.

Deepening our Relationship with God

Doubt, trial, failure, trauma, neglect, fear – all of these and more can interfere with our trust in a loving Father in Heaven. Whatever gets in the way of the trusting relationship you would like to have with God, this seminar-retreat will help you make steps in healing and deepening the most important relationship of your life.

Mindful Eating

Learn how to reconnect with your body, get off the diet wheel, and develop a peaceful relationship with food in this very experiential class on mindful eating. No monk experience required! Designed for Mormon women, this class explores a new philosophy of eating while giving very practical tips that support a healthy relationship with food. Come experience a new way of eating in a compassionate, fun way.

Coping with Loss and Disappointment

Sometimes our losses are obvious, as when we lose a loved one. Other losses are invisible, as when that loved one is physically present but emotionally absent. Sometimes the losses that hurt most involve our dreams, our faith, or our identity. We’ll look at all kinds of loss and disappointment, see the steps in the journey of healing, and begin to create a map for the journey ahead.

Relationships: Seeing What Is, Seeking What’s Next

Relationships are sources of our deepest satisfactions and longings, and our most pressing opportunities for personal growth and change. If you are ready to look at what your relationship with a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or friend can teach you about you, come explore where you are stuck and how to get in motion again.

The Power of Knowing When to Quit

To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, there is a time for hope and a time to refrain from hoping. But how can we know the difference? Whether in relationships, jobs, life patterns, or dreams, resilience and patience are essential skills for crafting a meaningful life. And sometimes we need resilience and patience to write off what we want now so we can eventually get what we want most. We’ll explore how we can know when to stay and when to quit, and how to carry out the hard work in either decision.

Training

We periodically offer professional training in sandtray, forgiveness, mindfulness, and spirituality in therapy. Check back with us for future events.