News Releases

January 12, 2010
For Immediate Release
For additional information: 
Barbara Kerr, APR
Executive Director of
Communications and Marketing
Telephone: 360-992-2921
Email: bkerr@clark.edu

Anxiety, Stress and Dinosaurs 

Clark College continues its Mental Health Mondays discussion series 
by expanding its focus on the impact of anxiety and stress

VANCOUVER, Wash. – What is stress?  Is it a noun or a verb?  Is it good for you or can it kill you?  Is it them -- or is it you?  Is it out there or in here?  Is it done to you -- or do you do it?  And, more important, what can you do about stress?

Stress, anxiety and panic are the subjects of the next two Mental Health Monday discussions at Clark College.   All Mental Health Monday sessions are free and open to the public.  They are held from noon to 1 p.m. in Clark’s Penguin Student Lounge, located on the first floor of the college’s Penguin Union Building. 

Clark College’s main campus is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.  Maps and parking directions are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

“Panic, Fear of Anxiety Sensations, and Agoraphobia.”

Elke Zuercher-WhiteOn Monday, Jan. 25, Elke Zuercher-White Ph.D. will discuss “Panic, Fear of Anxiety Sensations, and Agoraphobia.”

This interactive presentation will focus on how anxiety sensations can result from panic – and lead to panic. Dr. Zuercher-White will also discuss state-of-the-art treatments.

Dr. Zuercher-White has written four books and co-authored one, all on panic disorder and agoraphobia, for lay people and professionals. At Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco, she developed the anxiety disorders program, starting in 1988. For 10 years, she was chair of the Anxiety Disorders Best Practices for Northern California Kaiser Permanente, in which capacity she chaired the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Panic Disorder, OCD, and Social Anxiety Disorder.

She provided consultation to clinicians region-wide and organized training in anxiety disorders by local and national presenters. She has given numerous presentations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. She is licensed in Washington, Oregon, and California. Currently, she has a private practice in Vancouver and works at the Anxiety and Panic Treatment Center in Portland, where she leads several anxiety disorder groups.

“Dealing with Stress”

Dr. Al BernsteinTo keep stress from ruining your life, you must first understand dinosaurs. Dr. Al Bernstein, world- renowned expert in dinosaur psychology, will explain it all in less than an hour during Clark College’s Mental Health Monday discussion on Feb. 1. 

Dr. Al Bernstein is a clinical psychologist practicing in Vancouver, business consultant and author.  Over the past 30 years, he has worked with individual clients of all kinds and consulted with businesses large and small, including Clark College.  He has published six books.  Two of them, Dinosaur Brains, on the role of instincts in business, and Emotional Vampires on personality disorders were bestsellers translated into twenty languages and are considered classics in their respective fields. 

His writing and his talks reflect his humor, common sense, and his belief that if people really understand how their minds operate, they can control how they feel and how other people treat them.

Mental Health Mondays:  Winter 2010 speakers

The Mental Health Mondays series will continue in February and March with intriguing topics and noted guest speakers.

February 8   Stages of Coming Out
  Vicky Johnson, LCSW
February 22 Transitioning at College:  How to be an ally for transgender individuals
  Reid Vanderburg, LCSW
March 1 Divorce Mediation
  Catherine Morton, M.A.
March 8  Depression
  Russ Freeland  Ed.D.

####