University of Redlands Hosts Inaugural Symposium

Spirituality is increasingly being examined as a factor in mental health and recent studies have found that spirituality may serve as a psychological and social resource for coping with stress. The integration of both areas will be the main topic of the inaugural symposium on Integrating Spiritualty and Mental Health at the University of Redlands. The event hosted by the School of Education and its Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will be held on Oct. 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at University Redlands’ Orton Center. The event will explore ways therapists, counselors and other health professionals can integrate spirituality into their practice. Clinicians, therapists, counselors, students, social science scholars, psychologists, chaplains, nurses, and others interested in the understanding the impact of spirituality on mental health are encouraged to attend the symposium. The keynote speaker will be Harvard University’s Professor of Public Health, David Williams, Ph.D., an internationally recognized authority on social influences on health. Dr. Williams is the author of more than 300 scientific papers and has been invited to keynote scientific conferences all over the world. He has been involved in the development of national health policy for the administrations of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He has also participated in multiple congressional briefings and has been a consultant to federal and state health agencies, private foundations and the World Health Organization.