Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Author to speak on kids’ wellness

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By REBECCA MEANY
Express Staff Writer

Susan Kaiser Greenland

When people talk about stress, adult problems come to mind. It's sometimes easy to forget that children get stressed too, and they may not have the tools to cope with it as adults do.

St. Luke's Center for Community Health, with support from the Los Angeles-based Flourish Foundation, is focusing on children's health and well-being during its annual fall conference, scheduled for this weekend.

"Children are impacted by so many dynamics, we need to be able to teach them tools to manage all these pressures and stressors and expectations," said Erin Pfaeffle, manager of St. Luke's Center for Community Health.

St. Luke's Center for Community Health has recently focused its fall conference on the health of children and families, Pfaeffle said.

"This is a way to demonstrate that children are really valuable to us and their health is really important," she said. "It's also a way to help parents and professionals who work with children to get an education from some nationally known speakers."

Saturday's keynote speaker, Susan Kaiser Greenland, will discuss kids' wellness topic "The New ABCs—Attention, Balance and Compassion."

Greenland, author of "The Mindful Child," offers a step-by-step process of mental training that helps kids deal with stress, insomnia, overeating, pain and other challenges. With mindful awareness, Greenland says, kids can be happier, kinder and more compassionate.

Greenland will offer techniques that will help adults build kids' awareness and attention.

"She'll provide a general overview of how to use mindfulness in children," Pfaeffle said. "They can also learn a lot about the work she's been doing in schools and communities."

Though mindfulness has gained a foothold among adults, its application to children is gaining ground among some health care professionals.

"We're seeing this shift in the use of mindful awareness in healing," she said, adding, "We're seeing great effects of it on children."

The conference will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey.

Check-in begins at 9 a.m. Greenland's presentation begins at 9:30. Following a short break, attendees are invited to stay for a more in-depth learning session. Greenland will guide participants in hands-on applications of mindful awareness concepts.

Register online at www.stlukesonline.org/healthycommunity or call St. Luke's Center for Community Health at 727-8733 to register by phone.

Pre-registration is encouraged.

As a follow-on to the free portion of the conference, Flourish Foundation is offering Inner Kids: Mindfulness, Level 1 training, a 16-week program for facilitators beginning Nov. 19.

For details, visit www.flourishfoundation.org.

Rebecca Meany: rmeany@mtexpress.com

Susan Kaiser Greenland highlights St. Luke's free annual conference

When and where

The conference is Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. Greenland's presentation begins at 9:30. Following a short break, attendees are invited to stay for a more in-depth learning session. Greenland will guide participants in hands-on applications of mindful awareness concepts. Register online at www.stlukesonline.org/healthycommunity or call St. Luke's Center for Community Health at 727-8733 to register by phone. Pre-registration is encouraged.

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