Dear Members of the Star Stake,
A wonderful and powerful healing event is planned in our Stake with amazing speakers, beautiful music and hope-filled, faith-building stories of what healing is possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We invite you to be with us.
Our annual Hope and Healing in Christ Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in the Star Stake Center on the corner of Floating Feather and Park Lane (see full schedule below). Members of the Star Stake, and all others from the surrounding area are invited to attend (ages 18+).
This year we will meet in person and have virtual options for some of the sessions.
Please feel free to attend any or all of the workshop sessions based on your needs or interests. Talented speakers will be sharing their insights, experience and tools on a variety of topics. We would love it if you would join us. We love you and hope this event will be a help to you and your family.
–President Ririe
Sessions are organized below by room location with the associated Zoom link, followed by the session time. Speaker biographies and class descriptions are also listed. For a printable version of the speaker bios & class descriptions, click here. For a printable version of the schedule, click here.
General & Leadership Sessions (Chapel)
Title: How Does Doctrine Help Us Overcome?
Class Description: We have been encouraged for decades to teach doctrine at home and church, but what exactly does that mean? What does it look like to turn to doctrine to find relief, hope, and encouragement in life? In this session, Kurt Francom explores the concept of doctrine as a tool in life, especially when we are striving to connect and encourage loved ones in our life who are struggling with addiction or mental health.
Biography: Kurt Francom is the founder and executive director of Leading Saints, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. The Leading Saints podcast is one of the premier Latter-day Saints podcasts reaching 500,000 downloads each month and a lifetime reach of 15 million total downloads. Kurt graduated from the University of Utah in 2008 with a degree in Business Marketing. He ran a web development company for 5 years before focusing on Leading Saints full-time in 2016. Kurt currently lives in Stansbury Park, Utah with his lovely wife Alanna. They are blessed to have three children and a dog.
Leadership Support (Chapel)
Presenters: Amy Curtis, Seth & Nicole, Bishop Meyers, Kurt Francom
Title: Church Leaders Helping Those Who Struggle with Addiction or Mental Health
Class Description: Church Leaders Helping Those Who Struggle with Addiction or Mental Health – Leaders play a pivotal role in helping individuals find hope and healing in the gospel of Jesus Christ. During this group discussion, we will explore real-world scenarios where leaders struggle to minister to others, pitfalls that impede progress, and ministering habits that encourage hope and healing.
Biography: Amy C. Curtis has a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Brigham Young University. She has worked at the Church’s Family Services for over 25 years. She is currently the manager of the Boise Office. Her responsibilities include clinical therapy and management of the Addiction Recovery Program.
Biography: Kurt Francom is the founder and executive director of Leading Saints, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. The Leading Saints podcast is one of the premier Latter-day Saints podcasts reaching 500,000 downloads each month and a lifetime reach of 15 million total downloads. Kurt graduated from the University of Utah in 2008 with a degree in Business Marketing. He ran a web development company for 5 years before focusing on Leading Saints full-time in 2016. Kurt currently lives in Stansbury Park, Utah with his lovely wife Alanna. They are blessed to have three children and a dog.
Closing Session (Chapel)
Title: “Seeing As We Are Seen, and Knowing As We Are Known”: How Healing in Christ Deepens Our Relationships
Class Description: Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, God has given us a vision of the quality of Celestial relationships that He’s calling all of us to grow into—relationships where, “having received of His fulness and of His grace,” we have an infinite capacity for love and intimacy with the whole body of Christ. And yet, in a fallen world, wounded through so many of our experiences in mortality, this ideal can seem so out of reach. We will talk more about what this means for us today and how we can allow all of our relationships to be, borrowing a phrase from Paul, a “schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.”
Biography: Ty Mansfield is a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist and adjunct instructor in Religious Education at Brigham Young University. Ty’s clinical practices specialized in mindfulness-based paths to emotional, relational, sexual, and spiritual flourishing. Ty completed his undergraduate work in Asian Studies and has been actively practicing mindfulness for over 15 years and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. He is also a co-author with Jacob Hess, Carrie Skarda, and Kyle Anderson of the recent book The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints (Deseret Book, 2019). He and his wife, Danielle, have five children and live in Spanish Fork, UT.
Mental Wellness (2nd Half of Gym)
Presenters: Darla, Evan Title: Mental Healing Stories
Class Description: Darla and Evan each share their personal struggles with mental wellness, tools and resources that have helped them and how they are healing and finding hope through Jesus Christ.
Title: Cultivating Stillness When Life is Loud
Class Description: In a world when the natural demands of life feel can be overwhelming, our attention is pulled in so many directions, or personal weaknesses lead to feelings of discouragement or hopelessness, how can we cultivate more stillness and peace and find the rest that Christ promises us? This workshop will explore how mindfulness can help us to cultivate more space for stillness to experience Christ’s peace, even in the “full catastrophe” of life.
Biography: Ty Mansfield is a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist and adjunct instructor in Religious Education at Brigham Young University. Ty’s clinical practices specialized in mindfulness-based paths to emotional, relational, sexual, and spiritual flourishing. Ty completed his undergraduate work in Asian Studies and has been actively practicing mindfulness for over 15 years and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. He is also a co-author with Jacob Hess, Carrie Skarda, and Kyle Anderson of the recent book The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints (Deseret Book, 2019). He and his wife, Danielle, have five children and live in Spanish Fork, UT.
Title: The Hopeful Paradigm Shift We So Desperately Need
Class Description: The mental health crisis is getting worse. Many are searching for hope in an increasingly difficult world. The good news is that there is good news! We don’t have to surrender to these challenges and simply give up. In this presentation we’ll explore exciting new research that will shift our paradigm with regard to our mental health and what we can do to improve it.
Biography: Clay Olsen serves as the CEO and Founder of Impact Suite, which owns and operates a suite of award-winning self-care apps that have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals find deeper healing and recovery in over 150 countries (see impactsuite.com). Clay currently sits on the Board of Directors for a number of different non-profit and start-up organizations and finds a lot of fulfillment in advising entrepreneurs in their efforts to make a dent in the world.
Early on in his career, Olsen co-founded and lead the creation of Fight the New Drug — a youth movement dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation through science, facts, and personal accounts that has been featured on ABC, The New York Times, NPR, CBS, CNN, USA Today, and more. After 10 years of running Fight the New Drug, he now sits on the board of directors and helps guide the larger vision. (See FightTheNewDrug.org to learn more)
His newest passion project is leading the creation of Raise — a free parenting resource dedicated to helping parents navigate the challenges of the current digital landscape with their children while helping them develop healthy relationships with technology.
Clay has personally presented at hundreds of secondary schools, universities, and event centers to hundreds of thousands in multiple countries. He’s spoken at the United Nations, the World Congress of Families, Carnegie Mellon, The Kansas City Royals, and the Set Free Global Summit.
In 2015, Olsen was invited to join the Top Youth Speakers National Speakers Association. In 2017, he was honored with the “Visionary Leadership Award” by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. In 2021, he was recognized as one of Utah’s top business professionals with the 40 Under 40 Award.
Presenter: Nicole Love
Title: How I Navigated My Daughter’s Suicide Attempt
Class Description: In this session, I will share my journey in walking with Christ before, during, and after my daughter’s suicide attempt.
Addiction Recovery (1st Half of Gym)
Presenters: Andrea, Mark, and Kyle Title: Stories of Hope and Healing
Class Description: Andrea, Mark, and Kyle share their individual experiences with addiction, what tools and resources have helped them and how they are healing and finding hope through Jesus Christ.
Title: Building Motivation and Resisting Urges – Wanting to Want It
Class Description: The chains of addiction can become debilitating, with no hope of change. In this presentation, we will address principles and practices to fortify ourselves and increase motivation from the inside out.
Biography: Clay Olsen serves as the CEO and Founder of Impact Suite, which owns and operates a suite of award-winning self-care apps that have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals find deeper healing and recovery in over 150 countries (see impactsuite.com). Clay currently sits on the Board of Directors for a number of different non-profit and start-up organizations and finds a lot of fulfillment in advising entrepreneurs in their efforts to make a dent in the world.
Early on in his career, Olsen co-founded and lead the creation of Fight the New Drug — a youth movement dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation through science, facts, and personal accounts that has been featured on ABC, The New York Times, NPR, CBS, CNN, USA Today, and more. After 10 years of running Fight the New Drug, he now sits on the board of directors and helps guide the larger vision. (See FightTheNewDrug.org to learn more)
His newest passion project is leading the creation of Raise — a free parenting resource dedicated to helping parents navigate the challenges of the current digital landscape with their children while helping them develop healthy relationships with technology.
Clay has personally presented at hundreds of secondary schools, universities, and event centers to hundreds of thousands in multiple countries. He’s spoken at the United Nations, the World Congress of Families, Carnegie Mellon, The Kansas City Royals, and the Set Free Global Summit.
In 2015, Olsen was invited to join the Top Youth Speakers National Speakers Association. In 2017, he was honored with the “Visionary Leadership Award” by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. In 2021, he was recognized as one of Utah’s top business professionals with the 40 Under 40 Award.
Presenters: Kim, Ken, and Will Title: Stories of Hope and Healing
Class Description: Kim, Ken, and Will share their individual experiences with addiction, what tools and resources have helped them and how they are healing and finding hope through Jesus Christ.
Presenters: Zach & Lisa Title: Couple Recovery Story
Class Description: Zach and Lisa are a couple in long term recovery who have applied the principles taught in the twelve steps of addiction recovery, both individually and as a couple to recover and heal from addictions and betrayal trauma. They share how this journey has brought the Savior Jesus Christ to the center of their marriage relationship, and how continued dedication and practice to these principles has helped them through many other significant life challenges.
Family Support (Relief Society)
Presenters: Amy (spouse), and Russ & Pam (parents)
Title: Stories of Hope and Healing
Class Description: Amy (spouse) and Russ and Pam (parents) share their personal stories of hope, healing and turning to Jesus Christ through the struggle of their loved ones’ addictions.
Title: 10 Conversations to Have with a Loved One with Mental Health Challenges
Class Description: Families want to be helpful but aren’t sure where to start. In this session, we will review topics which promote greater understanding between loved ones and those who cope with mental health challenges.
Biography: Rachel has both undergraduate and master’s degrees in social work, and has worked in the field since 1990. She provides individual psychotherapy services, focusing on treating mood and anxiety disorders, as well as addiction issues. Rachel and her family have lived in Meridian since 2001. She and her husband enjoy getting to the Oregon coast as often as possible.
Title: Betrayal Trauma
Class Description: My understanding of intimate partner betrayal began when a husband and wife walked into my office seeking help after the wife experienced an emotional breakdown. As I learned their story from first date to present day, I recognized a pattern within her that I have now repeatedly witnessed with both woman and men experiencing what they call a “breakdown” after learning of their partner’s pornography use, extramarital affair, or other violation of trust including physical, emotional, financial and/or sexual abuse.
The so-called “breakdown” is a normal response to the breach of trust and safety within the relationship. Research reveals that the effects of these experiences meet similar criteria for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Join us in learning about the following:
- Microsoft Word – 2023 – Biographies and Class Descriptions
- Common physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual symptoms of betrayal trauma including PTSD.
- Stages of betrayal trauma including shock, denial, obsession, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, and healing.
- Common behavioral reactions to betrayal trauma.
- How to self-regulate with mindfulness techniques.
- How to set healthy relational boundaries.
- How to establish new criteria for safety within the relationship.
- How to practice self-compassion.
- Seeking for a professional that treats PTSD with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, or other trauma-informed therapies.
The betraying partner is a critical link in the healing process. So come as a team, united in breaking and healing the cycle that seeks to destroy our most intimate connections in life.
Biography: Kathy Barnum is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Clinical Mental Health Counselor, wife of 29 years, and mother of 3; two daughters, one in medical school and the other entering graduate school for a master’s in Social Work and a son on a mission in Mexico.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Family Science from Brigham Young University and a Master’s degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions from Boise State University. Kathy is nationally certified with the board of Counseling and is licensed in both Idaho and Utah. She works with clients struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, bi-polar and other personality disorders, trauma, betrayal trauma, relationship/attachment issues, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and perfectionistic tendencies. She is a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and Association of Latter-day Saint Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP).
Before starting her own practice, she worked in drug and alcohol recovery. Kathy is the owner of Compassionate Counseling Services located in the Cherry Lane Counseling Center in Meridian, Idaho. She is trained in several therapy modalities, such as EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, Positive Psychology, Adlerian, and EFT.
Outside of counseling, Kathy enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, exploring the natural world around us, and laughing as often as possible.
Title: “Wherefore, be faithful;…succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5)
Class Description: If you have a spouse or loved one who is struggling with an addiction or other problematic behaviors, you may feel discouraged, betrayed, hurt, or hopeless. You may worry about the significant consequences that seem to loom over you and your loved one. Perhaps you just feel concerned and want to help. This session will focus on healthy ways to engage those you love throughout their journey of recovery.
Biography: Amy C. Curtis has a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Brigham Young University. She has worked at the Church’s Family Services for over 25 years. She is currently the manager of the Boise Office. Her responsibilities include clinical therapy and management of the Addiction Recovery Program.