ODL 335: Dimensions of Wellness: The Holistic and Cross-Cultural Approach in Counseling 

1 CREDIT HOUR APPROVED FOR:
Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 1 Clinical CE Credit
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 1 Contact Hour
Counselors
NBCC ACEP – 1 Contact Hour
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 1 Contact Hour
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 1 Contact Hour
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Contact Hour

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.

Created On:    4/17/25

Attention New Jersey Social Workers: 

This course is approved for all social workers, including New Jersey. The Board Adopted Amendments: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.3, 6.4, and 6.7 Content Areas for Continuing Education Credit on April 15, 2024. This updates the Board’s regulation. This amendment states that  attendance at programs or courses offered by providers approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) are now acceptable sources of CE credit. 

At the June 12, 2024 public meeting, the Board voted to allow “any applications submitted, or audits which take place, on or after September 1, 2022” to be able “to submit CE from the sources updated in the new amendment adopted on April 15, 2024.”

For more information please refer to https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/sw/Pages/Additional-Information.aspx#CE

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, counselors, nurses and case managers.

Overview:

The focus on wellness has become increasingly prevalent in multidisciplinary areas of health and mental health research. Wellness is rooted in the foundational framework of counseling and it is a multidimensional holistic concept that impacts all facets of everyday life including the lives of educators, students and clients. Wellness counseling is transtheoretical, meaning it can be applied across cultures. Counseling is an integrative approach that often goes beyond Western centric talk therapy. There is a growing need for counselors skilled in diverse culturally sensitive wellness approaches. This presentation will examine wellness through a multicultural lens and explore current wellness trends in counseling research and practice. Wellness is an active process of growth and change to reach your fullest health and well-being. Integrating wellness counseling and tools such as mindfulness, allows clients to process trauma symptoms in the body, regulate their nervous system, and regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Holistic wellness involves focusing on present thoughts, feelings, and actions to heighten awareness and consciousness. It integrates the mind, body, and spirit for overall well-being. Practiced through eight dimensions, it aids in managing stress and anxiety.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:

• Examine wellness counseling and how holistic wellness can be integrated into counseling through focus on mind-body-spirit
• Identify wellness practices and analyze barriers to integrating wellness
• Discover culturally competent ways to use holistic wellness with diverse clients

Presenter:

Shama Panjwani, PhD, LPC, ACS, NCC, CCMHC 

Dr. Shama Panjwani is an Asian Indian speaker and expert in trauma-informed care, focusing on attachment, immigration, cultural/racial, and intergenerational traumas while integrating holistic wellness approaches to addressing trauma in a culturally competent manner. She is currently a professor in the clinical mental health counseling program at Keiser University. Dr. Shama has a private practice, SoHolisticEnergy Counseling & Consultation, LLC, where she provides clinical services to clients and supervisees. She also provides consulting services to organizations and institutions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and workplace wellness.

Dr. Shama has a PhD in counselor education and supervision with a specialization in cross-cultural psychology and organizational leadership. She is a national certified counselor, a certified clinical mental health counselor, a board certified telemental health provider, licensed professional counselor and an approved clinical supervisor. 

Her research presentations and publication focus on topics including reducing mental health stigma, immigration, acculturation, trauma, social justice and advocacy, multiculturalism and diversity, psychedelic-assisted therapy, crisis counseling, as well as approaches used to increase cross-cultural awareness and wellness, and leadership skills within academia and other institutions. She has been working in the mental health field for more than nine years. She is actively involved in doing consultations, workshops, and presentations to create awareness and destigmatize mental health and wellness for the BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) community on an individual and organizational level by increasing their access to effective and culturally responsive treatment.