Our event starts at 11 am on the 2nd floor of the Koffler House (569 Spadina Avenue). Come early for coffee and conversation at 10:30 am.
Learn the what, how and why of mindfulness, a skill that changes the lives of those who practice it. Over the last 40 years, this adaptation of the ancient Eastern practice of meditation has been spreading across the world, increasingly taught in “third wave” therapies like Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. Modern neuroscience has proven its effectiveness in coping with life’s challenges, particularly those related to problems with anxiety and depression, anger and emotional dysregulation, suicidal ideation and addictions, and other serious mental health problems. By learning how to control our animal brain, we can improve our relationships, make better choices, increase positive emotions, and achieve our goals.
Speaking on this topic, our featured speaker will be Danny Firestone. Danny is a Registered Psychotherapist with over 30 years of clinical experience working with people struggling with psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, addictions, eating disorders, PTSD and complex trauma, suicidal behaviors, and more serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, antisocial and borderline personality disorders, and psychosis. Over the past 15 years, he has had intensive training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), a modification of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy developed by Marsha Linehan out of the University of Chicago, designed and adapted specifically to treat Borderline Personality Disorder. He has taken a lead role in consulting with and developing a DBT residential treatment program, and has developed and delivered training and workshops in DBT for other service providers. In 2017, after a 35-year career in the public mental health system, Danny quit his job to start a private practice, providing DBT skills training, workshops, and individual or family therapy, while spreading the wisdom of DBT. His website is PEACEpsychotherapy.ca.
Our musical performer will be singer songwriter Dana Sipos. www.danasipos.com
Originally hailing from the industrial landscape of Hamilton, Ontario, Dana Sipos inhabited the far Canadian north – Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – for many years before going nomad. Her captivatingly nuanced songs continue to be infused with a wild wind and a haunting, slightly hypnotic surrealism akin to the mysteries of the North. Her 2015 release, Roll Up the Night Sky, was nominated for a Canadian folk music award in the Pushing the Boundaries category celebrating innovation in creating new folk sounds. She has a new album, Trick of the Light, released earlier this year, in spring 2018.
To RSVP to this event please visit our Meetup page.