*SEMINARS COMING SOON Breakout Session 2 2023
Friday, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
The Marriage and Mental Health Connection
Research studies conducted in recent years indicate that marriage is not only good for general health (Umberson & Thomeer, 2020), but more specifically for mental health (Verstaen, Haase, Lwi, & Levenson, 2020). Millions worldwide experience symptoms of a mental health condition each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression, for example, is one of the leading causes of disability across the globe and people with severe mental health conditions die prematurely – as much as two decades early – due to preventable physical conditions (WHO, 2022). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that the percentage of adults getting mental health treatment has steadily increased in recent years (Johnson, 2022). Yet, data has revealed that people in stable marriages are happier, experiencing lower rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation, as compared to single individuals, or those in unstable marriages (Verstaen, et al, 2020). An important factor to experiencing the mental health benefits of marriage is to strive to have a healthy marriage.
One of the aims of this presentation is to provide a list of the most measurable benefits of marriage on mental health, along with statistical data as to why this is so.
It will also highlight a number of important factors present in most healthy marriages and how these might be implemented in the audiences’ matrimonies. The presentation will also give emphasis to having God present and making Him a priority in the marital union.
PRESENTER
Emmanuel LaPorte
Dr. LaPorte, D.Min., M.Div., CFLE, has worked with families as a pastor in multiple conferences within the Adventist Church and as a Chaplain in the United States Army.
The Impact of Social Media Engagement on Couples’ Emotional Health
Social media can create chances for individuals to compare their relationships to others, leading to feelings of inadequacy or dissatisfaction. It can result in increased arguments and conflict within a marriage. In Proverbs 17:22, “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Social media is a double-edged sword; it can cause heartaches or bring joy. It all depends on the user’s ethics. This presentation explores the impact of social media engagement on couples’ emotional health, focusing on the period during the pandemic. The research presents findings and proposes practical and applicable biblical principles and social media engagement best practices that would help couples and families better understand how to engage in social media responsibly and ethically, thus using it as a tool to improve their emotional health.
PRESENTER
Ruth Nyabeta-Omwocha, MA, CFLE-P, is a doctoral student at Andrews University, and her area of interest is in family studies.
Pornography, Sex Trafficking: Their Influence and Impact on Family
The access and use of pornography has continued to rise due to the continued increase in how such activities can and are engaged in via private cell phone and computer use, filters that are able to delete history of such accessed website in private and exhibits a higher use at the onset and during the COVID-19 epidemic and social isolation. Current governmental studies and collected taskforce from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice for Victims of Crimes information (OVC) report that there is also an increase in sex and human trafficking. Along with these types of listed reports, in the field of clinical counseling and those who work with victims of sex trafficking, there has been seen a concrete connection and intersection between that of the use of pornography and the sex trade, therefore an increase of victims needing knowledge based therapeutic help, support, and intervention. This presentation will identify and discuss evidenced based steps that play a direct role in the enmeshment of and correlation between porn addiction, sex trafficking, and the negative, harmful, and destructive influence, impact, and consequences experienced by those who end up in and victimized by the sex trade, as well as Christian families of those who engage in the heinous acts of and end up in captivity of pornography addiction.
PRESENTER
Julián Anderson-Martin, MA, LLPC, LMHC,
Counselor, Owner/Director Rose Above the Thorn Counseling Center
Pedagogical Approaches as Best Practices in Enhancing Family Relationships and Emotional Wellness
Interest in family issues has increased significantly in recent decades, especially in aspects of its nature, relationships, and role in contemporary society. However, even with growing interest in social media, these conversations about family have not reached a climax of deeper study and solid understanding possibly due to lack of opportunities in academic and ecclesiastical settings. Both Christian universities and churches tend to prioritize other topics in classes, seminars and preaching, leaving study, dialogue, and family practice as a sporadic event. The main objective of this workshop is to promote the need to bring the topic of family more often into the classroom, or even the church. The presentation will embody a biblical-theological foundation for family, along with understanding and appreciation for scientific dialogues about the family in and beyond Christian Adventist perspectives, as a framework for constructing family and family relationship curricula. This framework includes curriculum models, audience needs, desired outcomes (know, do, value), class contents, methodologies, and assessments. This workshop is based on a theoretical framework but highlights practical methods for the inclusivity of family topics/issues in the process of curriculum design and execution.
PRESENTER
Hebert Liessi
Hebert Davi Liessi, PhD (cand), area of research focuses on the integration of theology and anthropology as a pedagogical approach to religious education in formal and informal learning context.