5-Day Certification Retreat: Nutritional and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Professionals is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held from Aug 26 - 30, 2020 at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Ground, Pacific Grove, California, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 23.5 contact hours / 2.35 CEUs / 23.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Target Audience: • Counselors • Social Workers • Psychotherapists • Psychologists • Marriage & Family Therapists • Physicians • Dietitians • Nurses • Nurse Practitioner • Addiction Counselors • Occupational Therapists • Occupational Therapy Assistants • Mental Health Professionals Course Description: Clinicians often say to me: “I want to include Nutritional and Integrative Medicine methods into my practice but I am not sure where to begin or how to do this”? And, “What am I allowed to do”? Many clients are already self-prescribing based on information obtained on the Internet or their friends. While many of these clinical methods have few negative side effects, some herbal supplements, juice fasts and other apparently healthy activities can have significant adverse outcomes if not tailored to the individual’s psychobiology. This training will provide state-of-the art, clinical skills you need to help your clients safely navigate nutritional and integrative medicine. You will also have opportunity to discuss cases, ask questions, develop new assessment skills and explore both metaphorical and scientific language that allows for effective communication with clients. Guest speaker Dr. Mary Ann Osborne, Nurse Practitioner, will join us during the retreat to share her specific areas of expertise. This content-rich retreat is organized with plenty of down time for rest, rejuvenation and relaxation in the pool or even for nourishing naps. Asilomar Conference Grounds is a breathtakingly gorgeous beachfront land. Situated within the quaint and scenic town of Pacific Grove, California. Asilomar is an unforgettable escape from the demands of everyday life, located on beach with walking paths, night skies and sunny days in which to rejuvenate while learning integrative clinical skills. Objectives: • Evaluate the scientific research that links diet and nutrition to mental illness and its implications for treatment. • Specify how certain micronutrients and macro nutrients affect mood and behavior in clients. • Present the psychobiology and psychophysiology of mind and body interactions with reference to six DSM™ categories. • Incorporate ethical and scope of practice considerations relative to integrated and nutritional medicine with respect to your own professional discipline. • Communicate integrative and nutritional methods as they relate to client psycho-education. • Explore the application of mindfulness methods in the treatment of eating disorders. • Discriminate between the clinical presentation of mental illness as compared to nutritional and/or hormonal imbalance. • Present six nutritional methods for treating clients who present with mood lability. • Correlate gluten and casein sensitivity with the presentation of depression, psychosis and ASD in clients. • Present evidence-based protocols for nutritional and herbal approaches for six DSM-5™ categories. • Demonstrate the use of a food mood assessment to evaluate client eating patterns and how those patterns may influence their mental health. • Appraise the epidemiological research underlying the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and its specific application for client mental health. • Interview clients using the DSM-5™ Cultural Formulation tool to explore about health and healing in order to inform the treatment planning process. • Evaluate drug-nutrient-herbal interactions for clients in order to prevent side effects of polymedicine use. • Present stage-specific anaerobic and aerobic exercise and self-care methods to decrease dissociative symptoms in clients. • Teach breathing techniques to reduce hyperventilation and improve focus among clients with anxiety disorders. • Present adaptations of complementary and alternative methods for children and teens with behavioral and mental health disorders such as ADHD and ODD. • Discuss contraindications of the use of psychotropic medications and herbal medicine and nutrients. • Identify the evidence for the use of essential fatty acids for anxiety and depression. • Investigate the science for the “second brain”: the gut-brain axis communication system of neurotransmitters. • Comment on the science of circadian rhythm as it contributes to depression, PTSD and bipolar disorder. • Analyze the differences between mental illness versus nutritional and hormonal imbalances. • Evaluate the impact of blood sugar and genetic variations on mental health disorders and effective treatment.

5-Day Retreat: Attachment-Centered Play Therapy in a Retreat Setting is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held form Sep 21 - 25, 2020 at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California, United States of America. Course Description: Come join me in this 5-day intensive retreat, to explore our clients through the lens of attachment theory, gaining a new understanding of how children and families interact and bond to one another in healthy vs maladaptive ways. We will explore how trauma, abuse, and neglect impact the bonds of attachment within the family system and how the power of Attachment Centered Play Therapy can help to heal these wounds. Throughout this intensive retreat, we will implement an integrative therapeutic approach to include the parents into the therapy process when addressing attachment wounds, trauma, grief and loss. There will be plenty of time to explore difficult cases you are working with, ask questions, develop new assessment skills and explore styles of attachment and how this plays out in therapeutic relationships with our clients. You will spend five days learning new and innovative play therapy techniques including hands on experiential activities, guided imagery, sand tray interventions, and expressive arts in a gorgeous setting with plenty of time for rest and rejuvenation built into the program outside of training hours. Did I mention that we will be spending ONE FULL DAY on the BEACH utilizing the world’s biggest sand tray practicing sand tray therapy techniques assessing family relationships, bonds of attachment, and family dynamics? We will provide the basics but would love to extend an invitation for you to bring few of your favorite miniatures for use throughout the week. Leave this integrative retreat experience with a creative toolbox of attachment centered play therapy tips, techniques, and a clear knowledge of how attachment styles impact relationships. In September, the sun will be shining, the beaches sparkling, and the water is warm and inviting. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in California. Remember your flipflops! Learning Objectives: • Analyze attachment theory as it applies to play therapy to provide integrated therapeutic treatment. • Evaluate the four key concepts of attachment theory and how these concepts apply to attachment centered play therapy. • Analyze various family systems through the lens of attachment theory to strengthen clinical assessment skills. • Conceptualize attachment patterns that impact parent-child relationships to further advance your clinical practice. • Implement play therapy interventions to foster engagement with parents in family play therapy in order to repair, and enhance the parent-child relationship. • Analyze the neuroscience of attachment and play therapy as it relates to treatment. • Determine the developmental stages of attachment needs and behaviors to identify maladaptive responses in children and families. • Compare various attachment play centered interventions for use with insecurely attached families. • Analyze the neuroscience of the impact of trauma on brain development. • Apply mindfulness skills and practice in play therapy treatment to promote self-soothing and affect regulation. • Explore various components of self-compassion and discuss its clinical applications and importance in working traumatized clients.  Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.

18th International Aspergillus Meeting is organized by Genetics Society of America (GSA) and will be held from Mar 08 - 09, 2021 at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California, United States of America. Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.

31st Fungal Genetics Conference is organized by Genetics Society of America (GSA) and will be held from Mar 09 - 14, 2021 at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California, United States of America. Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.