Oates Institute Online Learning Center

What better way to chase away the winter blues than to sign on for an interactive three-week seminar? And you can receive 12 Continuing Education credits for each seminar since the Oates Institute is an approved provider by the National Board of Certified Counselors. There is still room in each of the February seminars but register soon to get your first choice. The registration deadline is Thursday, February 2. All seminars are free to Oates Institute members, and only $80 for non-members. Become a member today, and continue taking seminars at no charge through the rest of the year.

Seminars use our social learning approach that allows for maximum schedule flexibility for participants. Login on your own timetable and enjoy ongoing interaction with fellow participants and a facilitator.

The February line-up includes:

A New Harmony: An Ancient-Future Perspective (new), is a study of John Phillip Newell's recent book, A New Harmony, in which we will explore how we help ourselves and others consider the possibilities of a new harmony in our lives—as individuals, as communities, and as nations—by asking "What is the cost, both personal and collective, of releasing life's essential oneness in radically new and transformative ways?" (more...)

Care of Self: The Caregiver's Mental Health explores the growing concern about clergy health—physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Recent research shows that while occurences of clergy depression are only slightly more than those of the general population, there is a significantly higher percentage reporting periods when they feel depressed and "worn out" some or most of the time. (more...)

Discovering the Secrets of the Grown-Up Brain raises questions such as "Why do we forget where we put something, but we can run complex organizations?" Barbara Strauch’s delightful book, The Secrets of the Grown-up Brain, helps us see how the middle-aged brain is more vigorous, organized, and flexible than we have previously believed. (more...)

Hamlet's Blackberry: Finding Balance in the Digital Age sets out to solve the conundrum of connectedness brought on by the onslaught of always connected mobile devices. Using the book, Hamlet's BlackBerry by William Powers, participants will draw on some of history’s most brilliant thinkers, from Plato to Shakespeare to Thoreau, to demonstrate that digital connectedness serves us best when it’s balanced by its opposite, disconnectedness. (more...)

Holding the Boundaries: Professional Ethics in Practice addresses the issues of dual relationships and the intimacy of relationships between professional and client/patient/parishioner that frequently blindside caregiving professionals--whether they are counselors, chaplains, pastors, social workers, or nurses. (more...)

Hope and Wholeness recognizes how hope lifts the human frame to tiptoe in expectation. It sets the imagination ablaze with anticipation. It stretches the mind to conjure up manifold possibilities. It crowds out the negative feelings of dread, fear and anxiety. Hope chooses light over darkness, order over confusion, health over sickness, peace over conflict. This seminar continues the conversation started during the Hope as a Dynamic of Healing seminar during January by encouraging participants to explore how hope contributes to one's sense of wholeness and well-being. (more...)

How Theological Worldviews Shape Your Ministry picks up on how spiritual caregivers differ in their approaches regarding who God is, what is required of them, what ministry strategies should be, and what moral, loving, and heroic behavior is.This seminar explores how theological worldviews vary between knights who believe the world is engaged in a great cosmic war and gardeners who see the world as part of a cosmic growth process. (more...)

Spirituality and Aging explores how we can help elders maintain that life is a magnificent gift that is worth living, no matter how short or long. Seminar participants will address issues of meaning, hopelessness, boredom, and fear that are emerging as significant spiritual issues begging to be proactively considered as people age. (more...)

Participants are invited to join in small group peer-to-peer learning as they engage in conversation around presented resources combined with the opportunity to reflect on and share out of their experience. By using email discussion groups and online classrooms participants may engage in the seminars as it is convenient to their schedules. Registration is free for Oates Institute members and $80 for non-members. Registration for each seminar is limited to 12 participants.

Registration:

Each of these seminars is limited to 12 participants. Members of the Oates Institute may register for free, others may register for only $80.

Register Now as an Oates Institute Member (free)

Register Now as a Non-Member (only $80)

This is the final week to register for January online seminars. Seminars start on January 9 and the registration deadline is Thursday, January 5. Nine seminars are still available, each offering 12 contact hours of continuing education credit approved for chaplains and counselors. All of these seminars are free to members of the Oates Institute, and only $80 for non-members. We are also continuing the December membership discount until January 5, so this is an opportunity to become a member for $132 (20% off) and sign up for a seminar. And then keep taking seminars with free member registration through the rest of the year. The seminars are each three weeks using our social learning approach that allows for maximum schedule flexibility for participants.

January is a perfect month for taking advantage of online continuing education opportunities. Just settle in next to the fire and log in on your laptop to connect with colleagues around the world as part of one of the Oates Institute's online seminars.

The seminars offered in January include:

Educating Families on Death and Dying will identify key conversations that families need to have about death and dying, barriers to having them, and strategies for communicating with patients and family members to help them navigate this journey. (more...)

Grief and the Healing Arts provides chaplains, social workers, nurses, and other participants a toolbox of specific, easy to use strategies for using the arts for the times when words are not enough. (more...)

Healing Power of Forgiveness asks: How do we choose to forgive? How do we forgive? What are the effects of holding a grudge or seeking revenge? Can we find a way to balance our need for security with the potential to grant forgiveness? Can we balance our needs for justice with the redemptive healing potential of forgiveness? (more...)

Holding the Boundaries: Professional Ethics in Practice addresses the issues of dual relationships and the intimacy of relationships between professional and client/patient/parishioner that frequently blindside caregiving professionals--whether they are counselors, chaplains, pastors, social workers, or nurses. (more...)

Hope as a Dynamic for Healing addresses the role that the dynamic of hope plays in one's healing and overall health and wellbeing, which continues to take on more meaning as healthcare approaches become more integrated and holistic. (more...)

Ministering to an Aging Society considers the changes that need to be proactively addressed as people age. It speaks to the spiritual, mental, and physical issues older adults may encounter as a result of the aging process. (more...)

Naked Spirituality recognizes that with the onset of post modernism, secularism, and the fundamentalist backlash, many Christians feel their traditional Christian practices are in danger of becoming irrelevant, empty rituals. This study of Brian McLaren's book, Naked Spirituality, offers accessible, practical wisdom for living a truly spiritual life. (more...)

Nurturing Silence and Sabbath addresses the tendency of many spiritual caregivers to overlook their own care in the process of giving care to others. This seminar looks at the sacrament of the present moment and affirms the gift and necessity of rest and self care by the caregivers. (more...)

Spiritual Care for Suicidal Persons will provide a foundational learning experience about depression, suicide and community resources as well as an opportunity to gain self understanding about the topic. (more...)

Participants are invited to join in small group peer-to-peer learning as they engage in conversation around presented resources combined with the opportunity to reflect on and share out of their experience. By using email discussion groups and online classrooms participants may engage in the seminars as it is convenient to their schedules. Registration is free for Oates Institute members and $80 for non-members. Registration for each seminar is limited to 12 participants.

The last day to register for January seminars is January 5, 2012.

Register Now as an Oates Institute Member (free)

Register Now as a Non-Member (only $80)

Order books for these seminars

January is a perfect month for taking advantage of online continuing education opportunities. Just settle in next to the fire and log in on your laptop to connect with colleagues around the world as part of one of the Oates Institute's online seminars. Ten seminars covering a variety of topics will be offered January 9-27. All of these seminars provide participants with maximum schedule flexibility and 12 contact hours of approved continuing education credit in a social learning context.

During this month you may also taking advantage of the December membership discount of 20% by becoming a member for $132 and registering for the seminar. Seminar registration is free for Oates Institute members.

The seminars offered in January include:

A New Harmony: An Ancient-Future Perspective (new), is a study of John Phillip Newell's new book, A New Harmony, in which we will explore how we help ourselves and others consider the possibilities of a new harmony in our lives—as individuals, as communities, and as nations—by asking "What is the cost, both personal and collective, of releasing life's essential oneness in radically new and transformative ways?" (more...)

Educating Families on Death and Dying will identify key conversations that families need to have about death and dying, barriers to having them, and strategies for communicating with patients and family members to help them navigate this journey. (more...)

Grief and the Healing Arts provides chaplains, social workers, nurses, and other participants a toolbox of specific, easy to use strategies for using the arts for the times when words are not enough. (more...)

Healing Power of Forgiveness asks: How do we choose to forgive? How do we forgive? What are the effects of holding a grudge or seeking revenge? Can we find a way to balance our need for security with the potential to grant forgiveness? Can we balance our needs for justice with the redemptive healing potential of forgiveness? (more...)

Holding the Boundaries: Professional Ethics in Practice addresses the issues of dual relationships and the intimacy of relationships between professional and client/patient/parishioner that frequently blindside caregiving professionals--whether they are counselors, chaplains, pastors, social workers, or nurses. (more...)

Hope as a Dynamic for Healing addresses the role that the dynamic of hope plays in one's healing and overall health and wellbeing, which continues to take on more meaning as healthcare approaches become more integrated and holistic. (more...)

Ministering to an Aging Society considers the changes that need to be proactively addressed as people age. It speaks to the spiritual, mental, and physical issues older adults may encounter as a result of the aging process. (more...)

Naked Spirituality recognizes that with the onset of post modernism, secularism, and the fundamentalist backlash, many Christians feel their traditional Christian practices are in danger of becoming irrelevant, empty rituals. This study of Brian McLaren's book, Naked Spirituality, offers accessible, practical wisdom for living a truly spiritual life. (more...)

Nurturing Silence and Sabbath addresses the tendency of many spiritual caregivers to overlook their own care in the process of giving care to others. This seminar looks at the sacrament of the present moment and affirms the gift and necessity of rest and self care by the caregivers. (more...)

Spiritual Care for Suicidal Persons will provide a foundational learning experience about depression, suicide and community resources as well as an opportunity to gain self understanding about the topic. (more...)

Participants are invited to join in small group peer-to-peer learning as they engage in conversation around presented resources combined with the opportunity to reflect on and share out of their experience. By using email discussion groups and online classrooms participants may engage in the seminars as it is convenient to their schedules. Registration is free for Oates Institute members and $80 for non-members. Registration for each seminar is limited to 12 participants.

The last day to register for Janaury seminars is January 5, 2012.

Register Now as an Oates Institute Member (free)

Register Now as a Non-Member (only $80)

Order books for these seminars