Sand Hills Community
Wellness Center
Train the Presenter
Free Workshops Sponsored by the South Brunswick Health Department
Sand Hills Community Wellness Center is offering free workshops focused on mental health, wellness, and more. These sessions will provide valuable insights into addiction, mental health, meditation and the powerful connection between food and your mood. Join us to gain knowledge, tools, and strategies to support your well-being and the health of our community!
Workshops
The Mental Health Connection Between Food and Mood by Jennifer Clearwaters
May 2nd 9:30am - 12:30pm
This session is a 3 hour presentation on the connection between Nutrition and Mental Health. This workshop will focus on the connection between food and mood and the power of food on mental health and wellness. Participants will enhance their knowledge of understanding food labels and learning about ingredients that make up packaged and processed food. They will also explore ways to incorporate food groups that help to boost energy, revitalize and stabilize mood, and improve sleep and clarity.
This session will also address how various foods, chemicals, and additives can be detrimental to health and wellness, and increase symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, weight gain, and lethargy. The ultimate goal of this session is to promote self-awareness. Participants will learn strategies and techniques that support other aspects of mental health including stress reduction, movement, sleep, routines, connection, and life purpose.
ABOUT JENNIFER
Jennifer is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of New Jersey. She is also a
Licensed Yoga Calm® Instructor, RYT200 yoga instructor, Reiki Master Level
practitioner, and a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She has experience
working as an ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher, Teacher of Alternative
Education, School Counselor, and Director of School Counseling Services. She also
worked as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Educational Counseling Department at
Monmouth University. Jennifer is a Boston College Alumni, and has completed
advanced degrees and training from Fordham University, New York University, Georgian
Court University, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In 2016, Jennifer created
Mindset, LLC, which offers in-person and Telehealth private practice for behavioral
therapy, Health Coaching, Reiki, and workshops on health and wellness. Jennifer has
had the opportunity to work with school districts and professional organizations
throughout the state of New Jersey and across the country. Jennifer is a life-long
athlete, and grew up playing basketball, volleyball, and was a competitive swimmer. As
an adult, she became a marathon runner, and a yoga practitioner. She believes strongly
in connecting the mind, body, and nature daily. She has co-authored with Cynthia
O’Connell a book, The Elevation Principles, and is also the co-host of the Mindset
Connection podcast.
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Social media: @mindsetjen-Instagram, @mindsetconnectionpod-TikTok
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@mindsetjen
YouTube::https://www.youtube.com/@TheElevationPrinciples
Podcast: Mindset Connection-on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube
Resilience: Why Some Bounce Back and Some Never Do
May 16th 9:30am - 3:30pm
Are you ready to face life’s challenges with confidence and composure? Would you like to help others build the skills needed to do this? This training on resilience can help you develop the mental toughness you need to bounce back from adversity, enhance your emotional well-being, and thrive in any situation! Join us to understand how to unlock the inner power to overcome challenges and how to teach others about the role resilience plays in one’s ability to manage life’s challenges.
This training can also help you create a calm and supportive environment for your family and equip yourself with the tools to navigate difficult times and model resilience for your children.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
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Effective coping strategies for stress and setbacks
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How to build your protective factors
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Strategies for building a strong, supportive network
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WHY RESILIENCE MATTERS:
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Achieve greater success in both personal and professional life
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Strengthen your ability to manage stress and uncertainty
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Improve your problem-solving and decision-making skills
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Enhance your overall mental and physical health
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TRAINING INCLUDES:
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Group Discussions
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Interactive Exercises
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Expert Insights & Tools
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Personal Reflection Activities
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Limited Seats Available!
Let’s cultivate resilience together—transform challenges into opportunities!
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ABOUT THE PRESENTER​
Pat, a former teacher, has spent well over 40 years working in the field of abuse and neglect prevention. She has lectured on issues such as animal abuse and domestic violence and how each one impacts the abuse of children.
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She has helped create child abuse prevention programs in 16 countries outside the US. She has also written a Protective Factors curriculum which stresses the important role we all play in keeping children safe, supporting families and strengthening our communities.
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She is a well known speaker/trainer across the country well as throughout New Jersey.
Today, she will share her research and experience about a topic she has presented on for more than 15 years - the phenomenon of resilience. Since we all learn from each other, she invites you to share your experiences as well.
An Introduction to Mindful Meditation: Mental Fitness for the Brain by Cynthia O'Connell
May 22th 9:30am - 12:30pm
Mindfulness Meditation practice can increase your ability to cope with stressful situations, and learn how to establish the powerful skill of responding instead of reacting.
This integrated approach to wellness and self-care embodies breathing techniques, mindfulness, movement, and meditation to empower one's ability to shift focus to present moment awareness, ultimately developing more self-reliance, resilience and acceptance. Participants will gain tools to implement immediately into their own daily practice creating greater focus, connection and an awareness of how to self-regulate.
ABOUT CYNTHIA O'CONNELL
Cynthia O’Connell is a retired professor from the Educational Counseling Department at
Monmouth University where she taught graduate courses and was the clinical coordinator for counseling interns. She has worked as a Health and Physical Education teacher, gymnastics and track coach, gymnastics judge, school counselor and Director of Counseling Services K-12 in New Jersey for over 30 years. She is a certified Yoga Calm® Trainer, an RYT200 Yoga Instructor, and received training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at Jefferson-Myrna Brind Integrative Medicine Center in Philadelphia. She has trained educators and students in school districts all over New Jersey, and in Iceland.
Cynthia has run marathons and was an avid race runner. She currently practices yoga, and weight training daily, along with her daily meditation practice of over 35 years. Presentations include workshops for The National Athletic Trainer’s Conference 2023, The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Brookdale Community College Athletes, School of Nursing Monmouth University, NASAP, NJSCA, the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the New Jersey Bar Association facilitating a Mindfulness Lounge at their conference and workshops on meditation. She was the keynote speaker for the Monmouth County School Counselors Association in 2018. She has developed a course in Mindfulness Meditation for adults, which she teaches at Monmouth University and locally in Monmouth County.
Her mission is to educate, encourage and connect youth through adults to develop a more mindful, compassionate, healing attitude through movement, meditation, and acceptance. She has co-authored with Jennifer Clearwaters a book, The Elevation Principles, and is also the co-host of the Mindset Connection podcast.
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Website: www.mindfulnessconnection.com
Social media: @mindfulnessconnection_
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TheElevationPrinciples
Podcast: Mindset Connection on Spotify and Apple
The Opiate Epidemic by Alan Shapiro
May 30th 9:00am - 4:00pm
This comprehensive training will present an overview of the current "Opiate Epidemic," including an examination of addiction; mental health and co-occurring disorders. We will also look at the withdrawal process; MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment)/ Harm Reduction; Relapse and how The Grieving Process aligns with treatment. We will look at the disease of addiction as a chronic illness. Mental Health and Mental Illness will be defined and integrated with substance use disorders as co-occurring disorders. The cessation of many drugs often encompasses withdrawal, so we will look at that process, as well as treatment options.
ABOUT ALAN
Alan Shapiro has been working in the Addictions Treatment field since 1987. He is currently in private practice in Bethlehem PA having previously worked at inpatient, outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, university and community mental health settings. Additionally, he works as a per diem trainer through Rutgers University, facilitating a 4 part Substance Abuse module for Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) caseworkers, as well as a "Fathers are Important" training. He also worked for the New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN) as a fulltime trainer for those pursuing certification and/or licensure as an addictions counselor.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Addiction Studies from Alvernia University in 1992, graduating magna cum laude and receiving the Caron Foundation achievement award for the student who best exemplified the Addictions Study Program. He received his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Kutztown University in 1996.
He holds the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) in both PA and NJ as well as the LCADC (Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor) in NJ and the CAADC (Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor) certificate in PA. Additionally, he holds the MAC (Master Addiction Counselor) from the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals.
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