Self Care-Resilience

Presenter: Gergana Dimitrova, MD, RYT 500 Description:

What is resilience? Why is it becoming so important in our lives now? How can we cultivate more resilience in the face of adversities? We are quite aware about the devastating psychological effect of trauma on so many people’s lives. Yet there are surprising findings of newer research that there are equal numbers, and may be even more, who were survivors of severe adversities and were able to bounce back and be successful in their endeavors. What makes one ‘trauma-proof”? Is it due to unique personal characteristics, or to specific mind set, personal values or social environment? This presentation will provide education about defining resilience, the different factors that contribute to it and enhanced it. Also we will expand on practical ways to use as tools in other everyday life to nurture ourselves to health and accomplishments.

Objectives:

1. To define Resilience

2. To identify personal characteristics, attitudes and life skills that can contribute to enhance resilience.

3. Experience a short sequence of a breathing exercise, meditation and a chair yoga practice that can be used as a personal tool for building resilience.

Gergana Dimitrova, MD, RYT 500, is originally from Bulgaria and graduated medical school there in 1985. She practiced psychiatry there until 1991. In November 1991 she moved to Canada with her family and pursued Geriatric Psychiatry fellowship at the University of British Columbia. In 1996 she moved to Baltimore, UMMS and studied for four years the General Adult Psychiatry residency program until 2000. In the year 2000 she officially became a Board Certified Psychiatrist. Since December 2000 until 2008 she worked as a psychiatrist and medical director of Worcester County Health Department and served an extensive rural area. There she facilitated a number of programs, including ACT team, mental health program to serve inmates from the local jail, home based family counseling and early childhood mental health programs. In 2008 she moved to South Carolina and became the Medical Director at CCBH, Greer, SC for 12 years. They developed several inpatient programs, ECT and TMS services, expanded the hospital to 156 beds and developed Child and Adolescent , Geriatric and adult Partial programs and expanded and IOP and CD IOP programs. Currently she is the Medical Director for the Behavioral Health programs in AdventHealth Hospital in Hendersonville, NC. She is in the process of actively developing the new Geriatric Psychiatry unit there as well as the new expansion of 24 beds in the Women’s Behavioral health unit with focus on trauma and dual diagnosis. A year ago she started training with Virabhava Yoga school for yoga teachers. In December 2020 she became a 500h certified yoga teacher. She looks forward to enhancing her integrative approach in treating and teaching strategies for addressing mental illness.

Credit: 6 Hours

Audience:  Art Therapists, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselors, Social Workers, Mental Health Counselors, School Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Medical Professionals

Fee: Subject to agency of employement. See below.

Employees of agencies not part of Region 1: Please purchase a Standard $75 Ticket

Employees of Region 1 301 Agencies: Please purchase a Region 1 Employee Ticket (A/OBHS, BHSPC, CCCADA, The Forrester Center, HealthyU, Phoenix Center, Cornerstone, Westview, Gateway, Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center and Anderson/Oconee/Pickens Mental Health) 

Payment options:

         Offline payment (Preferred): 

 Checks made out to BHSA Region 1 and mailed to:

                                      Attn. Stephanie Bentley PO Box 1948 Greenville, SC 29602. 

          Pay online with credit card

 (refunds subject to 2.9% + 0.30 processing fee and will be refunded via check)