Confidence, Self-Esteem, Understanding & Conflict Resolution: Fostering Positive Mental Health at Camp
**If you register after 3:00 PM on Thursday, May 2, please email kerry@acanenwengland.org to let her know you have signed up so she can forward you the relevant confirmation email.**
It’s a hot topic now: Directors have noted differences in levels of staff and camper confidence, ability to problem-solve, handle stress, conflict, and more. How can we proactively train to deal with these challenges and develop positive self-images and empathy that lead to success? Save prep time and take home expertly designed, practical, participatory activities and materials that efficiently address these issues, will fit right into your 2024 training, and be useful throughout the season.
Psychologist and therapist Bob Selverstone has spent decades developing and facilitating these highly acclaimed activities for individual camps and at professional conferences. Now he has worked with master trainer and #1 best-selling camp training author Michael Brandwein to build this unique workshop in which you’ll learn top tools from Bob’s repertoire and be able to present these at your own camp with Michael’s expert touches. Plus: Michael will present the newest version of one of his essential training pieces, “How to Teach Problem-Solving & Responsibility to Campers.”
Included:
- Keys to creating “safe” places for camp communication
- Affirming that all people “matter” so they are seen, respected, and valued
- Enhancing empathy and understanding of others
- Handling different views and values and managing conflict
- Solving problems with greater confidence—what to say and do
- Practical self-reflection that works
- Gratitude and Positivity
About the presenters:
BOB SELVERSTONE, Ph.D. has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in Westport, CT, for 40+ years – overlapping his 35 years as a public-school counselor and high school (and Graduate School) teacher of courses in Values Clarification and Human Sexuality. He has conducted over 1,000 workshops and presentations to professional and parent groups on issues of social and emotional health, values, communication, self-esteem, relationships and sexuality. This includes 400+ on-site trainings for summer camps. He has been featured in a dozen award-winning educational videos and has appeared on many radio and TV programs. Bob co-authored one of the first articles in Camping magazine that called for human relations training of camp staff. In 1918 his grandfather, Harry Sperling, founded one of the first private summer camps in the nation, and his father, Arthur Selverstone, ran it until his death. In one way or another, Bob and his family have been involved in camping for over 100 years. He and his high school sweetheart (of 62+ years) have two children and four adult grandchildren.
MICHAEL BRANDWEIN (michaelbrandwein.com) is an internationally acclaimed expert on camp, youth development, and education. A frequent national keynoter, he has presented in all 50 states and on six of the seven continents. Michael trains camp leadership teams and staff, teachers, and youth program leaders throughout the world. He is the number one best-selling author in the camp training and leadership field, with six books, including : Training Terrific Staff (Volumes 1 & 2), Super Staff SuperVision, Skill of the Day: What Great Leaders of Young People Do and Say, and the latest, Growing Great Qualities in Kids: The L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M. Technique for Bringing Out the Best in Young People. He wrote and presented three Emmy® award-winning TV programs on youth communication that have been broadcast on PBS stations throughout the United States.
Michael has won two American Camp Association national awards and many regional awards. He is a former ACA national board member. Michael lives in the Chicago area with his wife Donna, an ASL interpreter. They have two adult sons: Dave, a touring musician, and Benjamin, a special education teacher in the Chicago Public Schools.
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