The ADEC Conference "Embracing Our Differences in
Dying and Grieving: Flowing with the River of Life"
March 10-14,1999 San Antonio Texas
(this information is from the ADEC web site)
 
 

Invited Panels:

 Janet Trever, M.S. and Robert Wrenn, Ph.D.
 Celebrating the Weird or How I Kept From Going Crazy or Removing the Mask With One
 Eye Open: A Close-Up and Personal View of a Support System for a Woman's 50 Years of
 Coping With Life-Threatening Cancer
 A special panel facilitated by Dr. Bob Wrenn will trace the life experiences— humorous, surprising,
 and sometimes brutal—of Janet Trever, a survivor of three types of cancer. Her story begins at the
 age of 5 with a "terminal" neuroblastoma diagnosis that left her without a right eye. The panel is
 composed of members of her family and professionals familiar with Janet's story. Family members
 on the panel include her mother, Lois Basten; her son, Andrew Miller; and her daughter, Sarah
 Miller. Professionals serving on the panel include Dr. Kevin Oltjenbruns, a colleague at Colorado
 State University; Dr. Harvey Wolfe, a health psychologist; and Dr. Terry Day, a head and neck
 surgeon from Vanderbilt University’s Medical School and current president of the Yul Brynner
 Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. They will share stories and anecdotes from Janet's life made
 "weird" by cancer and medical science, yet made sane from her network of support, her unique
 personal style, and her resiliency.

 Deoshore Haig, B.S., M.S.W. and LaVone Hazell, CDE, B.S., M.S., CFT, CFSP
 Diversity in African American Cultural Rituals, Customs, and Celebrations
 This panel will discuss the various cultural components of African Americans and the area of death,
 dying, funerals, bereavement and aftercare. The belief system for many African Americans is that
 the spirit is extremely important and the body houses the spirit. Therefore, dying for many
 African Americans is merely a transition to a better life and therefore, a celebration. This panel will
 discuss a variety of topics in the area of culture and death and dying among African Americans and
 provide the participants with a basic understanding of the different needs required by
 African American families and communities.
 

 Invited Speakers:

 Terry Tafoya, Ph.D. The Language of Grief: Cross-Cultural Elements of  Bereavement:
 This presentation will examine how, while grief may be a universal experience, the expression of
 grief will be shaped within a cultural context. Special emphasis will be given to multiple loss and
 bereavement in working with youth and how the "normal" process of grieving can become
 disoriented for them. The presentation will describe four cross-cultural elements of healing and
 primary and secondary world views in the context of healing.

 Father Virgil Elizondo  El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)
 Father Elizondo will discuss the Mexican tradition of observing the Day of the Dead and the cultural
 implications. His discussion will include a video presentation that documents the Day of the Dead
 celebration in San Antonio and the importance of this national holiday to the Mexican American
 communities. Father Elizondo will describe the various aspects of this holiday as well as the various
 objects traditionally used in this annual celebration.
 

Keynote Speakers:

 Terry Tafoya, Ph.D "Every Tragedy Comes with a Gift in its Hand . . . But a Crisis May
Come Empty-Handed"
  Trained as a traditional Native American storyteller, Dr. Terry Tafoya is a Taos Pueblo and Warm
Springs  Indian who has used American Indian ritual and ceremony in his work as a family therapist
while serving as  clinical faculty and senior staff for the University of Washington’s School of
Medicine. Dr. Tafoya has also directed the Transcultural Counseling Program at The Evergreen State
College, where he was a professor of   psychology. In 1988, he co-founded the National Native
American AIDS Prevention Center, a CDC-funded  minority AIDS Project. In 1989, he created
Tamanawit, Unltd., an international consulting firm. With over 20  years of university level teaching
experience, including his position with the National Bilingual Training and Resource Center, Dr.
Tafoya has worked with mental health, human sexuality, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse   prevention,
and bilingual education. He served as a faculty member and cross-cultural sexuality expert with the
Kinsey Institute for the Study of Human Sexuality, Gender, and Reproduction.
  He is a national consultant for the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and is Chief
Curriculum  Writer for the Gathering of Native Americans, a National Substance Abuse Prevention
Project for American  Indians and Alaskan Natives. He is on the national faculty for the American
Psychological Association, and  the international faculty of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation for
Clinical Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.
  This presentation will focus on concepts of change— how altering situations can impact
predictability and  stability and safety for individuals. Participants will explore how Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs can provide a  model of how different people will have different needs, and how
a sense of control over one's environment is  important to health. Through the use of Native
American storytelling, slides, and humor, this presentation will  utilize a foundation of network and
family therapy from Western science in understanding how personal and professional systems deal
with change in effective and appropriate ways.

Rose Kizito, B.S., M.S.  Ira Nerken International Speaker "Antenatal HIV Testing: Implications for
Women and Developing Guidelines for Counseling HIV Infected Children in Uganda"
  Rose Bulya Kizito has devoted her life to working with families and children who are the victims of
the HIV crisis in Uganda. Rose is the director the Nkumba Parents Nursery School and Day Care
Center, which  provides services and care for approximately fifty children who have become orphans
due to the HIV crisis in Uganda. This school also educates approximately 100 children in basic
English language skills and basic education to enable them to go on to their primary education. Rose
is currently the Public Relations Officer for TASO, the major AIDS organization in Uganda. She
serves a variety of roles in this facility is very dedicated to her service to HIV infected and affected
individuals. Her keynote address will discuss the issues of HIV in Uganda, the development of
guidelines for counseling HIV infected children and the needs of infected and affected children.

 Ronald K. Barrett, Ph.D. "Celebrating the Cultural Tradition of Black Funeral Rites"   Dr. Ronald
Keith Barrett is a professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where
  he created and teaches a course with a lab on the psychology of death and dying. He is an
internationally recognized specialist on the study of cross-cultural differences in death, dying and
funeral rites and has published widely on African American cultural traditions and multicultural
perspectives. He has served as a consultant to the Los Angeles and Philadelphia County coroners’
offices, the Mayor's Office of the City of Baltimore, and the New York City and Compton Unified
school districts. He is widely known for his expertise on urban homicidal violence and youth. He was
a speaker on the Hospice Foundation of America's 1995 National Teleconference "Children
Mourning, Mourning Children," the 1997 Service Corporation International Teleconference
"Communities in Crisis: Safeguarding our Kids at School and on the Streets," and the 1998
  Hospice Foundation of America National Teleconference "Living with Grief: Who We Are— How
We Grieve." He has authored numerous scholarly projects on children, death, and dying, and has
conducted grief support groups specializing in the treatment of traumatic loss in inner city children. He
is the founder and project director of the United Methodist Junior Basketball League and Youth
Employment and Development Project an urban anti gang, drug and violence prevention project in
South Central Los Angeles. He is active in the HIV/AIDS community and is recognized for his work
and consultations on "bereavement burnout prevention" with agencies nationwide. He has conducted
research and teaching in Germany and Australia. Dr. Barrett serves on the ADEC Board of Directors
and chairs its Multicultural Membership Committee. He is the founder and chair of the ADEC People
of Color Forum. He is also a member of the International Association of Trauma
  Counselors and the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement.

Margarita Suarez, RN, PNP, M.A. "In Our Differences We Grow and In Our Sameness We
Connect Across Cultures"  (V. Satir)
 Margarita Suarez holds credentials as a registered nurse, pediatric nurse practitioner, and counselor.
The fifth of  fourteen children, she immigrated from Cuba in the 1960s and served in the Army Nurse
Corps during the Vietnam War, where she was continuously exposed to the tragedy and pain of war.
She is the Executive Director of AVANTA, The Virginia Satir Network, which is an international
educational organization whose mission is to support, connect and empower people through the Satir
Growth Model. She is a much sought after lecturer who frames pain and grieving with a fearless
optimism. You will enjoy her humor, energy, and ability to communicate her message.