Award-winning educator and child psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Siegel will present at a free virtual event from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, offered through the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
His presentation, “Supporting Connection in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Strategies for Belonging and Thriving Relationships after COVID,” will offer a perspective on how the pandemic impacts the environmental experiences of children and adolescents.
Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is the best-selling author of “The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind,” “Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain,” and “Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind.”
He will discuss how the environment shapes identity and sense of belonging as well as strategies for supporting interpersonal health and relational resilience to support youth.
Siegel’s presentation is sponsored through a grant from the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.
“This is an exciting opportunity to have a renowned speaker come to campus,” said Professor Julie Bates-Maves, clinical mental health counseling. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity to hear Dr. Siegel speak at no cost. We are greatly appreciative of the Thompson Center’s support.”
The event will be held over Zoom. Registration is required. A recording will be available to registrants after the event.
Behavioral health opportunity
Bates-Maves, who wrote the grant proposal, believes Siegel’s presentation will be useful for anyone who interacts with children or adolescents, including parents, teachers, caregivers, counselors, medical staff, social workers and helping professionals.
Clinical mental health counseling graduate students and faculty will attend the event. “Students learn about trauma and the impact on our neurobiology in the program,” Bates-Maves said. “So, it’s exciting for them to have the opportunity to hear from and engage with an expert in this area of behavioral health.”
Assistant professor Andy Felton appreciates Siegel’s influential research in therapeutic work and how he makes his discoveries accessible to the general public. “It provides an understanding on how interpersonal relationships, especially early in life, play a significant role in our brain’s development,” Felton said.
“Listeners will leave this seminar with a better understanding of the brain and how it functions, the value of connecting with others and even a better understanding of themselves,” he added.
The grant also supports Dr. Janina Fisher’s virtual presentation on Thursday, March 24, 2022. Fisher, a renowned trauma expert, will present on “Understanding How the Body Responds to Pandemic Stress: Building Insight and Offering Strategies for Weathering the Mental Stress of a Pandemic.”
Fisher is a licensed clinical psychologist and supervisor at the Trauma Research Foundation. She’ll discuss the psychological and somatic impact of living through a pandemic. Registration is required.
The Thompson Center funds speaker events at UW System campuses outside of UW-Madison that advance public leadership and promote discussions of leadership and policymaking solutions in Wisconsin and beyond.
