Day 1 - Session 3
May 10, 1:45 - 2:45 pm (EST/USA) 
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Awe: The Spirituality and Psychology

Presenters:

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Kirk Schneider, PhD

Piercarlo Valdesolo, PhD

Edward Bonner, PhD, LPC, MS

  • Lehigh Valley Health Network (USA)

 

Expert Panelists:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monica Brooker, PhD

  • Clinical Psychologist; Assistant Commissioner, Equity and Inclusion, New York City Police Department (USA)

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Chelsia Harris, DNP, RN

  • Executive Director of Nursing, Lipscomb University​​​

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Aaron McClure, Crisis Negotiation Team Coordinator

  • Sergeant, Crisis Negotiation Team Coordinator, Ontario Provincial Police

 

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Session Description

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The Power of Awe to Individually and Collectively Heal

Kirk Schneider, PhD​

I will speak about key ways that the cultivation of "awe"--or the humility and wonder, sense of adventure toward living--has led to resiliency for people I've interviewed in my book Awakening to Awe as well as historical figures from the past.  Among these historical figures are Viktor Frankl, Stephen Hawking, and Maya Angelou. I will then briefly summarize a conflict mediation model--the "Experiential Democracy Dialogue"--that draws on the cultivation of awe for addressing some of our most pressing cultural and political divides.

More information:

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Awe & Order 

Piercarlo Valdesolo, PhD​

This talk will explore the relationship between awe and the motivation to explain and make sense of our environment. It will describe research that has shown both a link between the experience of awe and feelings of uncertainty, as well as a link between those feelings of uncertainty and a desire to see the world as orderly and predictable.

More information:

 

The Phenomenon of Awe

Edward Bonner, PhD​

Short description.

More information:

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BIOGRAPHIES

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Kirk Schneider, PhD

Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and leading spokesperson for contemporary existential-humanistic and existential-integrative psychology. Dr. Schneider is a cofounder and current president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (an award-winning psychotherapy training center), Council Member and Candidate for President of the American Psychological Association (APA), past president (2015-2016) of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32) of the APA, recent past editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2005-2012), a trained moderator for the conflict mediation group Braver Angels, and an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook University and Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Schneider is also an Honorary Member of the Society for Existential Analysis and the East European Association for Existential Therapy.

He received the Rollo May Award for “outstanding and independent contributions” to the field of humanistic psychology from the Society for Humanistic Psychology, APA and is a Fellow of five Divisions of the APA (32, 42, 12, 29, and 24). His work on existential-integrative psychotherapy has been featured in a special issue of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration (March, 2016) and is the inspiration for the psychotherapy training program of the Living Institute, Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Schneider has published over 200 articles, interviews and chapters and has authored or edited 13 books including The Spirituality of Awe, The Polarized Mind, Awakening to Awe, The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, Existential-Humanistic therapy, Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy, The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy, and The Depolarizing of America:  A Guidebook for Social Healing. Dr. Schneider’s work has been featured in Scientific American, the New York Times, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Psychology Today, BBC World News and many other health and psychology outlets.

For more information on Dr. Schneider's work visit https://kirkjschneider.com.

LinkedIn profile

Twitter: @kschneider56

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Piercarlo Valdesolo, PhD

Piercarlo Valdesolo is an Associate Professor of psychological science at Claremont McKenna College, and a Visiting Associate Professor at Macalester College. His research studies the mechanisms underlying moral judgment and behavior with a particular focus on the role of emotions in our moral lives. His work asks questions like: What drives moral hypocrisy? How does awe influence attitudes towards religious belief? For whom do we feel compassion and why? Piercarlo has a B.A. from Amherst College and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Northeastern University.

Email: pvaldesolo@cmc.edu

Twitter: @pvaldesolo

LinkedIn profile

http://www.valdesolo.com/

 

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Edward Bonner, PhD

Ed Bonner is an embedded behavioral health specialist with Lehigh Valley Health Network. He provides direct counseling to patients at the Networks Hamburg family medicine site. In addition, he is a member of the LVHN faculty and facilitates the learning of medical residents serving the residents of Berks County, PA. His research interests include awe, spirituality, and innovative clinical interventions.

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Monica Brooker, PhD

Dr. Monica Brooker is the Assistant Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion at the New York City Police Department, where she provides leadership and oversight of  data analyses tools and strategies to examine workplace and work life issues in the context of equity and inclusion.  She has spearheaded multiple workplace culture assessments and research projects focused on inclusive leadership, behaviors that intersect mental health and belonging, and the role of identity in law enforcement.   

Dr. Brooker is also a licensed clinical psychologist trained in psychological assessment, trauma-informed care, treatment of psychotic disorders in minority populations.  She taught in the Psychology Department at John Jay College prior to her current role, and has published and presented research on mental health empowerment and early interventions for severe mental illness.  Dr. Brooker holds a MA in the Psychology of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University.

Email: Monica.Brooker@nypd.org

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Chelsia Harris, DNP, RN, FNP-BC

Dr. Chelsia Harris has been in the nursing profession for almost 20 years.  She currently serves as the Executive Director of Nursing at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  Dr. Harris received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Arkansas Tech University, her Master of Science in Nursing as a family nurse practitioner from Vanderbilt University, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Case Western Reserve University.  Dr. Harris has spoken locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally to a variety of healthcare audiences, has served as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Christian Nursing and American Nurse Today, and serves on several state and national nursing advisory boards and alliances. Her publications include topics such as Physician-Assisted Suicide, Compassion Fatigue, Advanced Practice Nursing, and Nursing Education.  Dr. Harris’ research includes exploring compassion fatigue and daily spiritual experience among nursing assistants working in nursing care facilities. Dr. Harris’ is passionate about the nursing profession, serving people, and ensuring that everyone receives high-quality compassionate nursing care.  She is happily married to her husband of 16 years, and they are exceptionally blessed by their precious five-year-old daughter who recently started kindergarten.   

Email: chelsia.harris@lipscomb.edu

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Aaron McClure, Sergeant

Sgt Aaron McClure is currently the Crisis Negotiator Program Coordinator and Critical Incident Scribe Program Coordinator for the Ontario Provincial Police.  He is currently in his 25th year of policing.  Aaron has been a Crisis Negotiator since 2001 attending calls throughout the Province of Ontario, Canada.  Part of his responsibilities include instructing on the Crisis Negotiator Course and the Critical Incident Scribe Course.  Aaron received his Bachelor of Arts, Honours from the University of Western Ontario.  Aaron has successfully completed Crisis Negotiator Courses that include courses through the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Police Scotland.

Email: aaron.mcclure@opp.ca

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