I am available for presentations, workshops, and reflective retreats. These have been useful for:
Therapists, counselors and those working with addiction; non-profit and for-profit organizations where spiritual and ethical values are important; social services organizations; hospice, chronic illness and bereavement groups; hospitals; groups interested in inter-religious and religious-secular dialog; religious groups of various kinds and those interested in spirituality in a wider context; youth groups. I took a break during Covid but have recently returned to actively doing workshops and presentations.
In addition to presenting material, I facilitate exploration and communication. My desire is to create a fertile space for others. A selection of presentations and workshops with some links (underlined below) to content are included here
“What’s Love Got to Do with It? : the importance of giving and receiving compassionate love.” link to description: Chautauqua Institute, New York. July 9, 2024.
From the description: Compassionate love can give us wise guidance for tough ethical decisions. Love that includes care, acceptance, and justice. What gets in the way of receiving and giving love in your life? We will explore together how science, the arts and spirituality offer insights into what this kind of love is, and give resources for promoting a flow of love, in and out, to help us act well in our imperfect world and find meaning in our lives. What exactly is this kind of love like for you? Love that feels so good to receive. Good in a lasting way that sticks to the ribs and doesn’t give indigestion. To be loved for who you truly are. To love others in a way that brings them more fully alive.
“The process of contemplative art” for the Contemplative Painter’s Guild, September 27, 2023.
“Awe, Beauty and Longing” ECVA via Zoom Oct 11, 2023
Workshop with staff of Wellspan-Philhaven Health System on a variety of ways to incorporate spirituality into their work and for help preventing staff burnout. Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, August 19, 2020 .wellspan philhaven description seminar
Keynote: “Sense of Spiritual Connection as Measured by The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale: A Resource” March 13-14, 2020, APA (American Psychological Association) Division 36, Denver Colorado.
“Integrating Spirituality into Personal and Professional Coaching” International Coaching Federation meeting, co-presentation with Anne Papinchak, Broadview Hts, Ohio, November 8, 2020.
“Addiction Prevention and Recovery: Ordinary Spiritual Experiences as a Stress Buffer”. September 14, 2018. Medical Humanities Conference, Western Michigan University. Abstract here
In August 2018 at the Collegeville Institute in Minnesota, my presentation and discussion was on my book in progress on flourishing in difficult circumstances. What wonderful people to be with, in such a beautiful place.
“Delusions about the Self that are dispelled by dire circumstances”. January 17, 2018, CCT La Miranda, California.
“How can the arts help us to care for those in distress? Revealing the heart of the human person”. Rosemead School of Psychology, California, Nov 28, 2017
“Promotion of resiliency, post-traumatic growth, greater sense of meaning, and less burnout in the face of distress.” Nov 1 2017, CCT, La Miranda, California.
“How can the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale questions be useful for staff that care for high-risk youth?” Conference of the National Association of Chaplains with High Risk Youth, Quincy, Illinois, September 26, 2017.
“Finding Spiritual Connection: Questions That Work”, Fetzer Institute, Michigan August 1, 2017, Workshop with Staff and external consultants.
The Spirit of Things ABC Public Radio Australia, Interview by Dr Rachael Kohn, March 26, 2017. To hear the interview click here . It can also be heard on iTunes podcasts.
Joy and Human Flourishing, Yale University, October 28-29, 2016 ( to see my ongoing work in this area click here)
“Exploring Spiritual Connection in Everyday Life” Widener University, Philadelphia, Nov 4 2016. See brochure here.
“Perspectives on Compassionate Love: Science, Spirituality and the Arts.” The Meaning of Love Conference, Biola University, May 6-7, 2016, Los Angeles, California. See link here for a video of the talk.
National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Harvard Institute for Health Policy, Boston Massachusetts. April 14-16 2016.
Assessment and Evaluation of Contemplative Practices in Higher Education, March 31-April 3, 2016, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“Investigating Spirituality in Daily Life: Resilience, Stress-buffering and Burnout” University of Southern California, Department of Occupational Therapy, January 28-29, 2016. Presentation to Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students and staff.
“Perspectives on Love: Empirical research and connections with ethical considerations” Biola University, Los Angeles, California, November 5, 2015
“Investigating and Exploring Spiritual Connection in Daily Life” Workshop and Presentations, Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute, October 29 and 30, 2015.
Science and Ethics Lectures, Inamori Center for Ethics, Case Western Reserve University April 2 and April 21, 2015.
“Measuring Ordinary Spiritual Experience in Diverse Populations using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale.” Harvard University Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities, Boston, December 4, 2014
Discover the “More Than” in Daily Life. Public Presentation Dubuque, Iowa, October 28, 2014
The “More Than” in Daily Life: 16 questions to explore spiritual connection. Presentation and Workshop for Leaders, Hillcrest Family Services, Dubuque Iowa, October 28, 2014.
Spiritual Connection: 16 Questions to Help Caregivers Two presentations for School Staff and Residential Care Staff, Hillcrest Family Services, Dubuque, Iowa, October 29, 2014
Full Spectrum Living: The “More Than” in Daily Life, Full Day Workshop, Community of Caregivers Conference, September 19, 2014, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Various CEU’s. Brochure
From the brochure: “Developing the inner life opens us to full spectrum of daily experience, which is ever-present, but often overlooked. Most people sense that spirituality has a positive impact on the quality of life: less burnout, fewer addictions, better relationships, and greater equanimity to name a few benefits. In this conference we will explore a tool for measuring what was once considered unmeasurable using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale. Framed as “16 questions that can make a big difference,” this scale invites us to greater awareness, and can help us recognize sources of sustenance and learn from and encourage one another. The language used in the scale can bridge differences for people who are deeply religious from different faiths and those not comfortable with any religion. We will identify ways it is being used practically in workplaces, and in settings with family, friends, and groups. The day will include times of quiet reflection, opportunities for expressive writing, and a chance to share with others.”
Flourishing in the Midst of Life’s Challenges. Full day Retreat, Shaker Heights, Ohio, October 4, 2014.
From the brochure: Overwhelming responsibilities and duties, an exhausting daily life, physical and mental disease, aging, loss of any kind…. How do we flourish in the midst of life’s challenges? this retreat provides space to become more open to how limitation and hard times can actually enable us to live more fully. Challenge and difficulty can pull the wool from our eyes, the wool of illusions about life on the surface, calling us to have a more realistic view of life – one rich with meaning and blessing. Resources that can help will be explored such as humor, the arts, silence, community, and spiritual writing.
Spiritual Connection in Daily Life: Focus on the “More Than” North Royalton Library. July 9, 2014.
A Day of Refreshment for Caregivers, Workshop/Retreat June 20, 2014, Healing Services and Spiritual Care, Bolton House, Lyndhurst, Ohio.
This was a day of rest and renewal, inspiration and sharing, for those who provide spiritual care and support in the midst of illness in hospital settings. We explored our own relationships with the transcendent through poetry and music and learned more about each other in the process. I led some exercises that could also be carried into our ordinary days life beyond the retreat, and I provided some methods and tools for deeply listening to divine love for each of us in the midst of the rough and smooth of our daily lives.
Monthly Series: Spiritual Connection in Daily Life, Church of St Dominic, Shaker Heights, March 30, April 27, May 18, June 8, 2014. 1) Transcendent sustenance in the midst of the ordinary, 2) Perceiving love in our lives, 3) Blessings in the midst of the ordinary, 4) Asking for help – why it is a spiritual practice.
Spiritual Connection: Support for Caregivers. Grand Rounds, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, November 21, 2013
“The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale: Uses for Inter-religious and Religious-secular Dialogue.” Presentation at the George Mason School for Conflict Resolution and Analysis. Arlington, Virginia. Abstract. April 2, 2013. George Mason University event page
Video Clip montage Using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale questions in Conflict situations
“Spiritual Connection: A Resource for Professional Caregiving,” Plenary Speaker, United Methodist Association 73rd National Conference. March 5, 2013: Orlando, FL.
“Unconditional Love”, on One hour live interview on”Philosophy Talks” Radio Program, Stanford University, PBS broadcast, December 9, 2012. link to show and notes notes
Metaphor and the Self: A Role for the Arts in Understanding Suffering and Treating the Person in Distress, International Neuroethics Conference, Brain Matters 3: Values at the Crossroads of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, October 24-25, 2012
Enhancing Communication and Understanding in Health Care, October 20, 2012, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, Washington D.C.
Ethical Implications of the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, Bioethics Grand Rounds, Cleveland Clinic, September 11, 2012.
Enhancing a Sense of Spiritual Connection through Poetry in a Secular Context. University College London. Institute for Advanced Study, Senate House, June 29, 2012.
Using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale to Improve Patient Care. Psychiatry Conference: Sympozion National al ARSP cu Participare Internationala. Sponsored invitation to speak. Targu Mures, Romania. 31 May – 3 June, 2012.
Neuroethics, the Arts and the Nature of the Human Person, Medical Humanities Conference, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, September 29-30 2011.
The human heart and the moral imperative. Holocaust Museum, Detroit Michigan, April 23, 2009.
Visual Art: Insights on the nature of the self in health and disease. Opening of the Gelbke Art Center, Hiram College, February 2008.
What exactly are ‘Good things’–the Outcomes of Interest in Human Research. Public lecture as part of the Bissell Symposium, Hiram College, March 25, 2008.
“The Human Person: Possibilities for Flourishing in Dire Circumstances.” Hellenic Research Foundation, European Research Network. Athens, Greece, September 21, 2007.
“The Human Being as revealed more fully in Disability and In Extremis.” European Research Network meeting: The human person in the 21st Century. Thessaloniki, Greece, April 22-25, 2007.