


Book Club
Our August Book Club reading is:
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern A Novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman - Author of The Matchmaker’s Gift
Please be sure to fill out the form below to make sure you get any Details, Notices or Announcements about our Book Club. If you want to be on the text chain for updates, please add your phone number (not required).
Join us! Don’t worry if you haven’t read or even finished the book, we would love to get to know you and have you as a Member of YGS! (Your Gathering Space). I GOT YOU BABE XO ELLEN



















How Movies Enhance Clinical Capacity for Empathy
For details and registration information click here.

How Movies Enhance Clinician Capacity for Empathy & Compassion, Expanding our Understanding of Mental Illness (Depression, Anxiety & Trauma).
If you enjoy watching and talking about movies, this Workshop is an opportunity to have fun while learning and earning continuing education credits. This training uses film as a medium for mental health providers to broaden their understanding & capacity for compassion when working with clients who live with Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma Disorders.
An entertaining learning experience, this workshop elicits clinicians to glean new insight into theories and practices that may have begun feel stale or out of date. Utilizing the powerful medium of film, the Workshop will engage and teach mental health providers fresh new perspectives in treatment. By viewing excerpts of films together in breakouts, clinicians are immersed in learning environments that foster camaraderie, discussion and debate enhancing their understanding of various mental health disorders. Presented by Ellen Blaufox, LCSW-R a former professional actor, this Workshop is an immersive, interactive experience for providers who are seeking creative new ways to invigorate their practice.
Learning Objectives
· Participants will recognize countertransference by viewing dramatizations that incorporate empathy for characters.
· Participants will analyze dysfunctional behavior patterns in clients with anxiety, depression and trauma through the use of film.
· Participants will apply their increased understanding to future interventions directly with clients.

Humanizing Clinical Practices With Self-Compassion( For Adults With a Special Focus on Trauma, Depression & Anxiety)
This Workshop takes clinicians (and other mental health providers) on a journey where they discover the revolutionary new skill that has been missing from their wheelhouse. The workshop teaches an important, often disregarded tool that will allow your clients to enhance their capacity to cope with life’s challenges, as well as to build and sustain resilience. One of the most powerful (and misunderstood) tools for ameliorating the devastating effects of self-comparison, envy and shame; Self-Compassion has been proven to be effective in reducing the troubling need for perfectionism, thereby enhancing self-worth, improving daily functioning and overall well-being. We will debunk the myths around self-compassion (for instance: that it leads selfishness, weakness, or impairs motivation). Research will be presented that reveals the truth about this revolutionary source for coping. Additionally, skills for managing difficult emotions, unhelpful thinking patterns & lack of motivation will be taught. Special attention and adaptations will be paid to the treatment of individuals living with chronic stress and survivors of trauma. This Workshop is highly interactive and will consist of a didactic component, as well as experiential, interactive exercises and breakout rooms for practicing interventions.
Learning Objectives
· Participants will understand the three key components of self-compassion (kindness versus judgment; common humanity versus isolation and mindfulness versus identification).
· Participants will explore the difference between self-compassion and self- esteem and finally achieve a greater ability to support clients in their shift from comparison to others toward acceptance of the self, regardless of their perceived successes or “failures.”
· Participants will enhance their own skill set & confidence in their own ability to incorporate these practices with their clients, as well as themselves (reducing caregiver burnout).

Humanizing Clinical Practice with Self-Compassion
For details and registration information click here.

Working with Caregivers of Youth with Mental Health Needs
For more information & registration details click here.


Bringing Creativity & Compassion to Treatment Planning
For more information & registration details, click here.

How Movies Enhance Clinician Capacity for Empathy & Compassion, Expanding our Understanding of Mental Illness (Depression, Anxiety & Trauma).
If you enjoy watching and talking about movies, this Workshop is an opportunity to have fun while learning and earning continuing education credits. This training uses film as a medium for mental health providers to broaden their understanding & capacity for compassion when working with clients who live with Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma Disorders.
An entertaining learning experience, this workshop elicits clinicians to glean new insight into theories and practices that may have begun feel stale or out of date. Utilizing the powerful medium of film, the Workshop will engage and teach mental health providers fresh new perspectives in treatment. By viewing excerpts of films together in breakouts, clinicians are immersed in learning environments that foster camaraderie, discussion and debate enhancing their understanding of various mental health disorders. Presented by Ellen Blaufox, LCSW-R a former professional actor, this Workshop is an immersive, interactive experience for providers who are seeking creative new ways to invigorate their practice.
Learning Objectives
Participants will recognize countertransference by viewing dramatizations that incorporate empathy for characters.
Participants will analyze dysfunctional behavior patterns in clients with anxiety, depression and trauma through the use of film.
Participants will apply their increased understanding to future interventions directly with clients.
