Beyond the Medical Model: Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care
Across cultures and throughout history, the concept of the soul—the essence of who we are—has held profound significance. Yet contemporary approaches to mental health often emphasize symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment, leaving less room to explore the deeper dimensions of human experience. While the medical model has contributed enormously to our understanding and treatment of mental illness, it does not always fully capture the complexity of identity, purpose, meaning, and connection.
Centered on lived and living experience, Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care offers a non-pathologizing framework for exploring how life experiences affect the whole person. Soul Exhaustion describes a deep sense of depletion that can emerge through persistent adversity, trauma, disconnection, caregiving, chronic illness, discrimination, profound loss, and struggles associated with gambling or substance use. It invites us to consider not only how people are functioning, but how their experiences may be affecting their sense of who…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LvlHUNRcQsOvfmgL7C6UEw. Accessibility Contact: Meg Brunner, meganw@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Webinar - register at: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LvlHUNRcQsOvfmgL7C6UEw.
Beyond the Diagnosis: Strengthening Regulation, Connection, and Recovery in Perinatal Substance Use Care
Pregnancy and the postpartum period can introduce significant emotional, psychological, and relational challenges for individuals navigating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns. Stigma, shame, and fear of judgment can further complicate treatment engagement, emotional regulation, and confidence in parenting and recovery.
This webinar will introduce four practical, evidence-informed strategies for supporting perinatal recovery: addressing stigma, strengthening self-regulation, building co-regulation and parent-infant attunement, and recognizing meaningful signs of personal progress. Participants will explore how emotional regulation, responsive caregiving, and relational support can strengthen self-efficacy, support treatment engagement, and create opportunities for parent-infant connection.
Through clinical examples and practical applications, addiction treatment and behavioral health professionals will learn how to integrate these approaches into existing services while addressi…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-QU9HkoyTn6bLRsuFPVnYg. Accessibility Contact: Meg Brunner, meganw@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Webinar - register at: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-QU9HkoyTn6bLRsuFPVnYg.