WC25 Program_LR 8

TRACK WORKSHOPS

321. Overcoming Regret: Biblical Strategies for Helping Clients Move Past Their Mistakes 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling: Education CEUs applicable to this workshop: ACSI Level: Beginner James Long, Jr., M.S.W., Th.D. Indiana Wesleyan University Summary Regret can hinder some clients’ emotional and spiritual growth, impacting their ability to move forward and find fulfillment. This workshop provides social workers and other licensed mental health professionals with biblical ly grounded, evidence-based tools to help willing Chris tian clients confront and move beyond regret. Participants will learn how to address common struggles, including guilt, self-doubt, and lost opportunities, by guiding cli ents through a process of self-reflection, forgiveness, and growth. Through interactive exercises, case studies, and role-playing, attendees will practice techniques to sup port clients in reframing past mistakes and embracing new possibilities. By blending therapeutic strategies with faith based principles, this workshop offers a comprehensive toolkit for professionals, equipping them to help clients re lease the past and pursue a purpose-driven life. Attendees will leave with practical tools for addressing regret in client sessions, applicable to their practice immediately. Learning Objectives 1. Outline how to guide clients in exploring and reframing past mistakes using evidence-based therapeutic exercises practiced through role-playing activities. 2. Apply biblical forgiveness principles to help willing Chris tian clients overcome self-doubt and guilt, evaluated through scenario-based exercises. 3. Integrate therapeutic and biblical tools for addressing re gret in client sessions, assessed through peer feedback and case studies. 322. AI and Digital Innovation: Empowering Private Practice through Technology 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: ASWB, NBCC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Level: Beginner Shelby DeBause, M.A. Genesis Counseling Center

cluding the biblical practice of lament, and examine other research-supported strategies to enhance resilience in min istry leadership. 320. Venerable Wisdom: Using Luther’s Soul Care Theology in the 21st Century 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: APA, ASWB, NBCC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Level: Intermediate Rick Marrs, Ph.D. Concordia Seminary

Stephen Piestsch, Ph.D. Australian Lutheran College

Summary Many Christians who experience psychological disorders also struggle with profound emotional and spiritual dis tress, including guilt, shame, and a sense of meaningless ness. Often, they perceive their suffering as a failure of faith, exacerbating their emotional turmoil. Conventional secular and some faith-based therapeutic approaches frequently fall short in effectively addressing these issues, sometimes intensifying feelings of spiritual inadequacy. Historically, Martin Luther was one of the earliest figures to recognize and respond to severe mental distress, writing over 2,600 counseling letters offering theological guidance to individu als suffering from melancholia. His theological framework, later influential in existential psychology through Kierkeg aard, provides valuable insights for integrating faith-based interventions in clinical practice with willing Christian cli ents. This workshop, designed for psychologists and licensed mental health professionals, will explore how Luther’s the ology of soul care—particularly his Law/Gospel distinction and Theology of the Cross—can inform clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions, equipping clinicians to help clients experience psychological relief, forgiveness, and re stored meaning through a Faith-centered approach. Learning Objectives 1. Outline Martin Luther’s Soul Care Theology, particularly the Law/Gospel Distinction and Theology of the Cross/Suf fering, as a framework for therapy for willing Christian cli ents experiencing emotional and spiritual distress. 2. Apply these theological concepts to diagnose and assess common psychological and spiritual struggles encountered in contemporary therapeutic practice. 3. Demonstrate evidence-based counseling strategies that integrate Luther’s theological insights to help willing Chris tian clients experience peace, forgiveness, and a renewed sense of meaning through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2025 AACC UNITED WORLD CONFERENCE

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