Growing Families Presents “Mindfulness and Stress”

Join La Canada Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 8, at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall as Dr. Joey Fung tell us about “When children and teens are stressed, many cope in unhelpful ways. One tendency is to avoid or suppress difficult emotions, such as anger or sadness. An opposing tendency is to constantly worry about problems. Mindfulness helps children and teens move away from these extremes toward healthy stress management. In this presentation, we will discuss what mindfulness is, its benefits, and how it can be practiced and integrated into the busy daily lives of children and parents alike. Finally, given how mindfulness practice is deeply rooted in spiritual traditions, we will discuss how mindfulness can help create inner space and attune our self to the infinite presence of God.”

Guest speaker, Dr. Joey Fung, received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Her research spans across the areas of parenting, parent-child relations, and culture and psychopathology. Together with her students and colleagues, she is conducting research on school-based depression screening and prevention intervention for adolescents, spiritual mindfulness meditation and empathy, and identifying non-traditional delivery systems of mental health care in international settings. Her work has been published in professional journals including the Journal of Family Psychology, Behavior Therapy, and Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. She also maintains a small private practice in South Pasadena.

Growing Families is a monthly seminar-type class at the La Canada Presbyterian Church for parents and grandparents, led by a variety of people; some are experts in the field of child development, psychology, and education while others are parents who offer to others what has worked for their families.

La Canada Presbyterian Church, located at 626 Foothill Blvd., offers a wide range of activities throughout each week for families and people of all generations, and prides itself on making anyone who steps onto campus feel welcome. For further information, visit lacanadapc.org or call (818) 790-6708.