Series description
What does it mean to be whole? It’s an enduring question of the human experience, and one that ultimately reminds us we are far more than the sum of our parts. When we apply a whole-person lens to our lives, we recognize that wellbeing is shaped by a variety of interconnected factors including our health, relationships, security, purpose, community, and environment. By understanding how these areas impact us at the individual, family, community, and population levels, we can navigate our own health journeys from a more integrated perspective.
In this series, we will explore widely relevant conditions and timely wellbeing topics through this comprehensive framework. Our facilitators are experts in their field who translate evidence-informed research into accessible information and actionable tools so you can apply what you learn into your daily life to enhance your wellbeing.
These workshops are designed for everyone. Whether you are navigating a health condition yourself or supporting someone else as a caregiver, family member, friend, or colleague, you are welcome here.
Upcoming workshops
- October 14: ADDing in Neurodiversity: Working with and supporting employees with ADHD
Future topics
Future topics
- Nonpharmacological approaches to pain
- GLP-1 support with nutrition education
- Addressing perimenopause and menopause
If you would like to be notified when future workshops open for registration, please fill out our interest form.
Who These Workshops Are For
Adults (18 and older) interested in learning to support their wellbeing. This programming is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please use any and all information discussed in the workshops to support discussions with your healthcare team.
What to Expect
The workshops are educational with time for questions and answers, and depending on the topic may contain experiential components. Recordings will be made available to registrants for one month, for those who would like to revisit the workshops or who are unable to attend the live workshops.
October 14: ADDing in Neurodiversity: Working with and supporting employees with ADHD
Prior to 2013 ADHD was considered to be exclusively a childhood diagnosis, meaning that its prevalence and presentation was not well understood in adults. As a result, there is still a great deal of stigma, misunderstanding, and confusion about what ADHD is, how it affects people, and what steps can be taken to help support neurodiverse folks (and most employees) in the workforce. According to the CDC, in 2023 it was estimated that around 6% of the population, or approximately 15.5 million people, had an active diagnosis of ADHD and that more than half of them had been diagnosed as adults. As clinical and diagnostic criteria expands to include groups that have historically been excluded or underidentified, the importance of understanding and knowing how to support neurodiverse individuals in the workforce is more important than ever.
This presentation will provide basic information about what ADHD is and its place within the broader framework of neurodiversity, and will provide tools, strategies, and perspectives for fostering wellbeing in brains that work in many different ways together. This session will provide strategies for understanding and addressing struggles with executive function, emotional dysregulation, and motivational challenges, while also emphasizing many of the strengths and gifts that frequently accompany ADHD, including divergent thinking, improvisational creativity, and interest-based motivation. Participants will also learn about simple neurodiversity-friendly accommodations and changes that have been shown to benefit most employees (through the principle of universal design) and will therefore gain strategies for improving overall wellbeing by adding in a neurodiversity-inclusive framework.
Learning objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define what neurodiversity means and how ADHD fits within that category.
- Identify at least 3 traits (struggles and/or strengths) associated with ADHD.
- Identify at least 2 potential strategies to increase support for and facilitate ease of working with folks with ADHD in the workplace.
Facilitator biography
Dr. Stephanie (Stevi) Shively is an instructor at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, where she teaches courses on narrative & wellbeing and executive function, and, through Universe, Inc., delivers wellbeing programming. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Humanities from the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she studied medical traumatization and burnout in physicians, and an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Shively is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in clinical burnout, perfectionism, academic/occupational distress, self-compassion, and neurodivergence (particularly late-diagnosed ADHD). Dr. Shively has taught classes, run groups, and created virtual resource tools for individuals with ADHD, and has a passion for working with neurodiverse individuals to help them to improve their wellbeing by fostering a more compassionate relationship with themselves.