“What Happens If.. Dealing Compassionately with Life's Challenges.'

August 27, 2013
Hosted by Lisa Ferentz

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Guest Information

Episode Description

In this hour, my guest, Betsy Otter Thompson, will inspire and motive you with her personal story of overcoming near homelessness and creating a hugely successful and meaningful life driven by spirituality, a sense of newfound purpose, personal responsibility and accountability. She will share the philosophy that she has written about in several of her books. You will learn how her mindset can allow you to work with and through many cognitive, emotional, and behavioral roadblocks. We will address how to compassionately handle issues including: making a mistake, being perfectionistic, never thinking you have enough money, disagreeing with loved ones, and feeling creatively blocked by fear. As you learn to address the “what if’s” head on, you will discover a way to navigate life’s challenges with integrity, and ultimately, a sense of inner peace. This hour will remind you that what’s most important is not what happens to us, but rather how we handle it.

Inspired Journeys: Overcoming Adversity and Thriving

Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel

Our program will educate and inspire. Lisa will interview authors, clinicians, and everyday people who have experienced or witnessed adversity and all of its life changing consequences. We will explore the impact that sexual abuse, domestic violence, bullying, physical disabilities, panic, depression, self-destructive behaviors and addictions have on individuals, families and our society. At the same time, we will focus on how to overcome and transcend trauma through empathy, self-love, forgiveness, self-awareness and acts of kindness. Lisa will talk with guests who demonstrate the resiliency of the human spirit and have helped others achieve true healing. We will discuss the power of attachment, learning how to be in the moment, how to reclaim a sense of spirituality, hope and optimism. You will learn how to find meaning even in the most difficult traumatic experiences and will come to understand that survivors can thrive, pay it forward, and help others to heal as well.

Lisa Ferentz

Lisa is a Clinical Social Worker, educator, author, actress, wife and mother. She has been in private practice for 30 years, using a wide variety of expressive therapies to treat adolescent and adult survivors of trauma, abuse, and neglect. In 2009 Lisa was given the Social Worker of the Year Award by the Maryland Society for Clinical Social Work. She is the founder and President of the Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education, providing continuing education workshops and Certificates in Trauma Treatment to mental health professionals. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member at several Maryland Universities. Lisa published articles on self-mutilation and eating disorders and is the author of the book Treating Self-Destructive Behaviors in Trauma Survivors, A Clinician’s Guide. She recently completed another book entitled, Letting Go of Self Destructive Behaviors, A Workbook of Hope and Healing. A recognized expert in the trauma field, she is a national and international presenter and keynote speaker. She provides ongoing consultation to practitioners and mental health agencies. In her free time, Lisa acts, directs, and choreographs in community theatre productions. Her compassionate approach to therapy, along with her belief that trauma can be transcended and survivors can truly thrive, makes her the perfect candidate to host Inspired Journeys, a program that educates and inspires, while celebrating the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.

Episode Directory

September 2013

August 2013

  • 8/27/2013: “What Happens If.. Dealing Compassionately with Life's Challenges." Listen Now
  • 8/20/2013: Making Peace with Food and Your Body Listen Now
  • 8/13/2013: BOUNCING BACK: THE KEYS TO RESILIENCY Listen Now
  • 8/6/2013: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY STOP SMOKING Listen Now

July 2013



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