Paula Prober, MS, MEd. is a counselor and consultant in Eugene, Oregon. She specializes in counseling gifted adults and consulting with parents of gifted children. Her book, Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the well-being of Gifted Adults and Youth was released in 2016. She blogs at www.rainforestmind.com.

 

Paula will present 

“Gifted Women – Rainforest Minds: Living With and Loving Your Complexities.”

Do you feel like not enough and too much at the same time? Are you overwhelmed by breathtaking sunsets, itchy clothes, strong perfumes, bad architecture, buzzing that no one else hears, angry people you don’t even know, needy friends, and world hunger? Do people tell you to lighten up when you’re just trying to enlighten them?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may have a rainforest mind. A personhood that runs faster, wider, and deeper than most.  But how do you navigate in a world that overwhelms you and tells you that you’re too smart for your own good?

In this talk, Prober will share examples from her counseling practice and her book to detail the complexities of adult giftedness and provide strategies and resources to help these women understand themselves, build healthy relationships, find self-acceptance, and create a better world.  Handouts, humor, and music will be provided. 

 

 

Linda Silverman, PhD. is a licensed psychologist, author and researcher. She founded Gifted Development Center in Denver in 1979. Linda has written over 300 articles, chapters and books. Her website is 

www.gifteddevelopment.com. 

 

Linda will present

“I’m Not Gifted, I’m Just Busy.”

Why is it that we, as women, cannot comfortably call ourselves “gifted”? One reason is that, historically, only men could be gifted. We pathologize our perfectionism, intensity, sensitivity, passions, moral indignation, feeling of being out-of-sync with others, overcommitment.  We often feel like imposters.  These are “gifted problems.”  We are living in challenging times, and our giftedness is needed to make a difference in the world. Our intellect enables us to question rather than blindly accept. We are called to take a stand against social injustice. As gifted women, we can safely blend in, or we can take the risk of standing out. Dare to be gifted. Dare to stand out. Dare to leave a legacy so that gifted girls no longer have to hide.