Claudia Marcella Clarke

Contact Marcella 

Claudia was born in Jamaica, W.I., but grew up in Brooklyn, New York where she now resides.  Throughout her childhood and into her adulthood,

she was unhappy about being naturally thin.  When she  was 26, she began a personal journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.  At age 27, she began studying Middle Eastern dance, which helped her to accept her

thinness and appreciate her body.  Currently as Marcella, her dance name, she continues to study Middle Eastern Dance. Where she studies under and dances with Morocco and the Casbah Dance Experience, a Middle Eastern dance troupe.  She is the creator of ThinBeautiful.com, a website dedicated to naturally thin people and the second place winner of the East Coast Belly Dance Fantasy Artist 2006 competition. She plans to dedicate her combined interests of Middle Eastern Dance and self-help into her future endeavors. Her workshop:

Michael Pasinski

Michael Pasinski is a practicing licensed psychotherapist in the State of Connecticut with several years' experience as a paranormal investigator. He has investigated many homes and other sites, to include the Green Lady Cemetery, Dudleytown, and Gettysburg. Mr. Pasinski has spent countless hours in the past several years gathering evidence, analyzing data, and networking with other investigators. He has used his clinical expertise to expand upon known "ghost hunting" practices, and is recognized by his peers as exceptional in the art of collecting Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). In addition to his own studies and investigations, Mr. Pasinski is an investigator with the Connecticut Paranormal Research Team (CPRT), and has contributed significantly to their data base of evidence.  His presentation:

Whispers and Mists; How Spirits move across the great divide in an effort to communicate with and touch the physical world.  Spend an evening viewing photographs of paranormal phenomena, hearing the voices of the departed, and learning how to successfully touch the other side. This program is designed for mature participants (adults), and will include real evidence of life after life, with a special emphasis on the ghosts of Gettysburg. Though you do not need to share your own experiences, this program is designed to be interactive... so feel free to bring pictures and stories of your own. The evening will conclude with a sample exercise in contacting spirits on the battlefield, which may yield results! (Note: Folks who do not wish to be present for the final portion of the program, the contact exercise, can still participate in a majority of the program, and can leave early.)

Charles Hinson

Charles Hinson, an experienced Facilitator and Trainer, is currently Director of Training for a Wall Street-based multi-national organization.  Mr. Hinson began teaching at The Center for Recovery in New York City and will now be offering his workshop here in Connecticut to reach out to GLBT persons and educate them on internalized homophobia, the effects it has on our daily lives through its impact on our beliefs, and share a message of hope for recovery from these devastating effects.  Mr. Hinson will share his story of on-going recovery from Internalized Homophobia, insights he has gained on his journey and sources that may help you find your path to recovery.  He will facilitate the discussion while participants share their beliefs and help each other heal.  The class he facilitates is:

Internalized Homophobia Workshop: Internalized Homophobia is a devastating reality for most gays and lesbians.  Our internal belief, that gay is wrong keeps us in doubt, fear, and self-hatred.  When dominated by internalized homophobia we cannot be in meaningful relationships, nor can we freely pursue our passions.  We stay small, avoiding visibility, and stifle our true essence.  Many of us turn to addictions rather than feel our own self-hatred.

This workshop provides a safe and supportive environment, for gays & lesbians to come together to share their stories and help each other find peace around their own internalized homophobia.

Judith Charles

Judy Charles is a licensed professional counselor who specializes in Critical Incident Stress Debriefings.  She is called into organizations after a traumatic event such as a suicide, death, bank robbery criminal act or terrorist attack.  She works with employees who have been affected by the incident.  Judith is also available for coaching and consultations over the phone.  Judith is trained in psychosynthesis, meditation, mindfulness, visualization as well as other psychological approaches.  She has been practicing for twenty years.  To contact Judy call 203-263-2919.   Her Presentation:

Grief: Challenges and Opportunities

In our society, grief is something we avoid.  We want our friends, family and co-workers to "get over it" and "go on with their life".  You are invited to join in a group to share your grief and journy with others; we will discuss the natural responses as well as problems that occur when we try to avoid grief.   As part of our time together we will discuss ways of taking care of ourselves as we navigate through grief.  Lastly, we will discuss how in everything there is opportunity and we will explore how grief can invite us to live more fully.  

Samuel Peckham has over 6,000 hours of professional training in Chinese Medicine. He received his formal academic education in Acupuncture at Tri-State College of Acupuncture (NYC) and his Chinese Herbal Medicine training at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (NYC). Beyond this he has been classically trained in the traditional master/apprentice format, in which he learned a Taoist family style of Acupuncture from Dr. Chuan Jing Mou (NYC).  Along with being a blend of modern and traditional training, Samuel Peckham has an innate talent for Chinese Medicine which makes him an exceptional practitioner and an asset to the community.  His Presentation:

Chinese Herbs: Chinese Herbs Explained. This class will reveal the five branches of Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture, Herbology, Meditation, Massage and Diet. It will cover their history, development, modern application and a basic functional understanding of Chinese Medicine. It will be taught by a licensed Acupuncturist and certified Herbologist and will include sample treatments for willing participants. The class will provide an elementary working knowledge of what Chinese Medicine is, the leading theories of why it works, the medical conditions it is best suited for, when to treat and what the typical visit to a Chinese Medicine practitioner will be like.