Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Pruet School of Christian Studies will co-host the fourth annual Conference on Christian Counseling on Friday, Feb. 28, in Ouachita’s Walker Conference Center. The conference theme will focus on “Anxiety” and related issues.

“We pick a theme that’s relevant to what’s going on in the world today,” explained event coordinator Dr. Bill Viser, associate professor of Christian ministry at Ouachita. “I think anybody would recognize that there is a lot of anxiety in people’s lives these days and we want to talk about ways of reducing and understanding anxiety better.”

Ouachita partners with Henderson State University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to bring in counseling professionals to teach large group and breakout sessions throughout the conference.

Breakout sessions include “Dealing with Anxiety: Observations & Contributions from Scripture & the Christian Faith Traditions,” “Reducing Your Anxiety through Self Care,” “Eight Steps to Controlling Anxiety in Your Life,” “Anxiety: Clinical Practice, Community Interventions and the Spiritual Factor,” “Cultural & Social Construct Influences on Anxiety & Individual Responses,” “A Non-Clinical Approach to the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: Physical Fitness, Diet and Sleep Pattern Modification as an Alternative or Adjunct to Traditional Treatments,” “Calm in the Chaos,”  “Victims No More: Using Faith-Integrated Form of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment of Child Survivors of Abuse and Violence” and ”Co-Morbid Anxiety & Substance Use Disorders: Exception or Expectation?”

The conference is open to mental health professionals, nurses, licensed therapists, social workers, pastors and students.

“I want it to be an opportunity for professionals, whether they are nurses, license therapist, social workers, counselors or pastors, to come under one roof united together to learn skills that can translate into making someone’s life better and more manageable,” said Viser.

Viser said he also hopes students will take advantage of the on-campus opportunity. “It’s a blessing to get to host this every year, and an awesome opportunity for students interested in a related career to hear outstanding speakers and maybe come to understand that God could be calling them into a profession like these,” he noted.

For mental health professionals, nurses and social workers, the registration fee is $100 and includes snacks, a catered lunch, all written material, certificate of attendance and eight CEUs are available. Pastors can register for $70 or $90 with a spouse with registration costs including snacks, lunch, materials and certificate of attendance. Students have two options; option one is free and includes attendance only at sessions. Option two is $20 and includes snacks, lunch, written materials and certificate of attendance.

Register online at www.obu.edu/iccconf. For more information, contact Tracey Knight at (870) 245-5599 or [email protected].

By Jessica Stewart