Continuing Education Classes/Workshops

Continuing Education Classes are designed for mental health and religious professionals. Classes generally run 10 weeks for a total of 15 hours of continuing education. Participants meet on Fridays from 8:15 – 9:45 a.m. at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center. Classes are offered on a rotating basis and are taught by members of the Center's clinical staff. The following classes/workshops are currently planned:

NEW: Winter 2012 Course Offering

Mark your calendars for a presentation of special interest to psychotherapists, licensed social workers, mental health counselors, and interested healthcare providers.

Bringing Spirituality into the (Therapy) Room ~
A 10-Week Course

Dates: February 17 – May 4, 2012 (no class 3/23, 4/27)
Time: Fridays, 8:15 – 9:45 a.m. for ten weeks
Location: Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center
8553 Urbandale Ave., Urbandale
Cost: $200 plus optional texts
CEUs: 15.00 hours This course provides 15.00 hours towards the continuing
education requirement of the Iowa Board of Social Work Examiners and
the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science Examiners
Instructor: Kathy Reardon, R.N., M.S.
To Register: Contact the Center ~ 274-4006 or info@dmpcc.org

This 10-week course will help therapists become more grounded in their own personal spiritualities in order to address respectfully and sensitively the spiritual natures, questions, and themes of clients. Class time will combine didactic and experiential components. The class is designed for counselors and therapists and open to others in the helping professions, including clergy and those working within religious institutions, hospice staff, spiritual directors, parish nurses, and other health care professionals.

“What Are We So Busy About?"
Taming the Tyranny of Time with a Spirituality of Time

Do you feel that time is running you, "running out," passing you by, and robbing you of the opportunity to live your life in a more intentional, satisfying, and peaceful manner? This spiritual enrichment day offered by the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center will explore our perspectives, attitudes, and experiences of time. It will also offer approaches to transcend the myth of the scarcity of time.

Presenters: Kathy Reardon, R.N., M.S., and Mary Jo Franklin

Friday, March 23, 2012

8:30 a.m. registration; 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. program

$55 (includes lunch)

Held at Plymouth Congregational Church, 4126 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines

For information or registration, contact Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center (274-4006 / info@dmpcc.org).

PrairieFire: A Program of Spiritual Renewal and Formation

PrairieFire is designed for people who desire to live each day prayerfully and intentionally, who long to respond fully to God's call. All who seek companionship in their spiritual journeying are encouraged to apply. Current participants include clergy and chaplains, counselors and social workers, healthcare professionals, spiritual directors, parish nurses, Stephen Ministers, hospice staff and lay persons.

PrairieFire is a two-year program that meets monthly, September through June, in Des Moines. Grounded in the Christian contemplative tradition, the classes will feature didactic and experiential elements. The next PrairieFire group is currently forming for fall 2012.

PrairieFire also offers an optional third year practicum experience leading to a certificate in the ministry of spiritual direction. Those participating in the practicum will make periodic visits to the Sophia Center, a well-established ecumenical program for spiritual formation offered by the Benedictine Sisters in Atchison, Kansas.

Kathy Reardon, RN, MS, and Kay Riley, MA, are the Co-Directors of PrairieFire.
Contact the Center to request an application packet (274-4006) or download the materials below.

PrairieFire Recommendation Form

PrairieFire Cover Letter

PrairieFire Application Form

PrairieFire Program Information

Professional Education Programs in Counseling and Psychotherapy

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is devoted to providing professional learning experiences in psychotherapy. The Center's faculty and supervisory staff is composed of pastoral counselors, licensed clinical psychologists, licensed independent social workers, marriage and family therapists, child psychologists, and licensed mental health counselors. We also have staff members who specialize in spiritual direction and healing touch and career counseling. Staff members speak the language of object relations theory as that is informed by self psychology, trauma theory, and systems theory. This orientation enables us to focus on the systemic and intra-psychic dimensions of human problems. We are committed to a view of healing that includes questions of meaning and not merely symptom relief, a desire to help clients find voice for all their concerns, and a respect for the complex integration of body, mind, and soul within all persons.

The Center currently offers the following post-graduate programs:

Residency Program in Psychotherapy

This intense professional learning experience is designed to benefit those persons who have completed graduate level programs in religion and/or mental health related fields and wish to develop good psychotherapy skills.

This program provides an excellent learning and practice environment designed around a model of professional formation. This model emphasizes the integration of knowledge and skill with the personal and professional identity of each person in training. Attention is also given to the integration of one’s spiritual/faith/value commitments with his/her theory and practice of psychotherapy.

This program is designed as a two-year clinical experience with strong didactic and supervision components. Key components of the program include: individual and group supervision, intake staffing consultation groups, interdisciplinary case conferences, theological reflection conferences, a professional formation group, ongoing seminars on topics related to the theory and practice of psychotherapy, and periodic evaluations of progress toward one’s own learning objectives.

A third year is optional upon recommendation of the supervisory staff and faculty. The program requires about 20 hours of work per week, including a full day and a half each week at the Center. Participants see clients at the Center. Tuition is $4,000 per year.

The Institute is proud to have a working relationship with the University of Iowa School of Social Work, Drake University, Iowa State University, and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

For additional information, contact Lisa Streyffeler, Ph.D., Director of Professional Education at (515) 274-4006, or email: lstreyffeler@dmpcc.org

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Pastoral Care Specialist Program

The Center is once again proud to offer the Pastoral Care Specialist Program, a competency-enhancing two-year program designed for the professional development and renewal of pastors, chaplains, and other persons involved in ministries of pastoral care. The program provides an enriching blend of psychology and theology, as well as theory and practice, while encouraging the sharing of learned lessons.

Participants meet once each month to learn about areas critical to effective pastoral care, and to receive support, encouragement, and consultation on their work. Participants can solidify what they already do well and integrate new knowledge and skills into their ministries. Seminar topics vary each year.

This year’s program began the second Tuesday of September (September 13, 2011) and runs through the second Tuesday of June (June 12, 2012). Participants meet from 8:45 a.m. to noon. Tuition for the program is $500 for each of the two years. Registration is limited.

For additional information or to obtain a registration form, contact the Center (515) 274-4006 or info@dmpcc.org.

Pastoral Care Specialist Schedule for 2011-2012

Attachment and Love
Presenters: J. Jeffrey Means, M. Div., Ph.D.

Issues in End of Life Care
Presenter: Norma Hirsch, M.D.

Ministry to Persons in Rural Settings
Presenter: Lowell Houts, D.Min.

Developmental Stages of Children and Adolescents
Presenter: Doug Aupperle, Ph.D.

The Theology and Practice of Pastoral Care
Presenter: Ellery H. Duke, Ph.D.

Ministry to People Who Are Traumatized
Presenter: Lisa Beckwith & J. Jeffrey Means, M.Div., Ph.D.

Trauma and the Body
Presenter: Susan Ackelson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.

Forgiveness
Presenter: Brian Post, Ph.D.

Knowing When and How to Refer
Presenter: Lisa Streyffeler, Ph.D.

Renewing the Spirit
Presenter: Kathy Reardon, R.N., M.S.

Participant comments about the Pastoral Care Specialist Program:

“The Pastoral Care Specialist Program provides valuable insights into dimensions and nuances of ministry for the practitioner. The casual professional setting allows for candid discussion among peers and experts. The course’s usefulness is evident for the novice as well as the seasoned veteran.”

“The Pastoral Care Specialist Program gives you a wider view of the struggle of God’s people and provides guidance on how we can better help our brothers and sisters as they respond to life’s fragility.”

"What I found most valuable about the program:
~ Presentations by specialists
~ The opportunity to ask questions
~ Suggested reading lists
~ Writing my reflections
~ Feedback on reflections”

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