Knowledge is Empowering

presentations, workshops

Therapy is one of my passions and speaking is another. In therapy, my aim is to help empower you to deal with your situation and make changes where needed. With speaking, my aim is to help empower you through sharing information in hopes to expand your worldview, give language to experiences that may be difficult to name, and provide you with tools, techniques, and resources to support your growth.

I have taught as a sessional instructor at Concordia University of Edmonton and as a guest lecturer for undergraduate and graduate classes. I have provided presentations and workshops for different audiences/groups such as conferences, organizations, and festivals. Currently I teach existential therapy with the Canadian Institute of Existential Analysis and Logotherapy (CIEAL).

If you would like me to provide a talk or workshop, I’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

Podcast Episodes

cronecast

A Constant State of Blossoming (an episode on dealing with loneliness)
Boundaries: We’re Not the Ocean
Boundaries Part 2: You Will Feel Uncomfortable

The Existentialists Podcast

Existential Psychotherapy, Inner Consent and Phenomenology
COVID-19, Pandemics & Dealing with Uncertainty
Illness Anxiety, Fear of Dying & Embodiment
Home: Belonging, Space, and The Freedom to Be
Boredom: From the Dread of Empty Time to the Fullness of Creativity
Ghosting, Projection, Withdrawal & Abandonment
Loneliness
Emotional (Dis)Honesty and Relational Responsibility
Who Are We, Really?
Becoming Who We Are – Authenticity and the Therapeutic Encounter
Finding Meaning in Our Everyday Existence
Seeing Beyond Appearances – Embodying a Phenomenological Attitude
Practicing the Phenomenological Attitude in Therapy – Personal Existential Analysis (PEA)
Inner Consent – Saying Yes to Your Life
Freedom & Responsibility -The Capacity to Respond
Grief – Turning Towards Loss

If you would like me to provide a talk, presentation, workshop, or be a guest on your podcast, please fill out this form. I will be in contact within 2-3 business days.

Past Presentations, Talks, Workshops

• Drisner, J. (July 2025). You will when you’re ready: Time and conscious alignment with your healing rhythm. Presentation at the Wild Roses Festival 2025.
• Drisner, J. & Launeanu, M. (Nov 2024). Finding meaning and fulfilment. 2-Day workshop, CIEAL.
• Drisner, J. (April, 2024). Living and dying existentially. Guest lecture presented to students enrolled in PPSYC587 Life Span Development, Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality. St. Stephen’s College, University of Alberta.
• Drisner, J. & Launeanu, M. (Oct-Nov, 2023, Feb-Mar, 2024). Foundations of existential therapy. 4-Day workshop, CIEAL.
• Drisner, J. (June, 2023). Basics of stress. Workshop presented to New Canadian Health Centre. 
• Drisner, J. (June, 2023). Trauma resiliency. Workshop presented to Catholic Social Services. 
• Drisner, J. (May, 2023). What’s the point of living? Meaninglessness in the face of the climate crisis. Presentation as part of the symposium, “Holding our breath, bracing for death”. 3^rd Congress of Existential Therapy, Athens, Greece.
• Drisner, J. (February, 2023). Vicarious Trauma. Workshop presented to Catholic Social Services.
• Drisner, J. (December, 2022). Stress and self-care. Workshop presented to Catholic Social Services.
• Drisner, J. & Bentum, B. (September – December, 2020). Burnout and self-care. 4-Part Series. Presented online for Community Initiatives Against Family Violence (CIAFV).
• Drisner, J. (October, 2019). Self-care. Presentation at EMCN.
• Drisner, J. & Bentum, B. (2019). Relational Grieving: Holding our grief together. Workshop at Neerlandia Christian Reformed Church. 
• Drisner, J. (2019). Anxiety. Presentation for Calvary Baptist Church. 
• Yohani, S., Ghazyani, R., Drisner, J. (2018). Community-based multicultural counselling and mental health practice with immigrants and refugees in Alberta. Presented in Edmonton, Alberta.
• Drisner, J. (March, 2018). Self-care. Presentation at Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre.
• Drisner, J. (January, 2018). The labyrinth of grief: A phenomenological exploration of turning toward loss. Presentation at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
• Drisner, J. (January, 2018). Grieving is together: Grieving as a relational process within families. Presentation at City University of Seattle.
• Drisner, J. (September, 2017). The labyrinth of grief: A phenomenological exploration of turning toward loss. Thesis defended at Trinity Western University.
• Chan, E., & Drisner, J. (2017). Social media and personhood in the postmodern world. Existencia, 21, 32-24. 
• Bartel, B., T. & Drisner, J. (April, 2017). Death ends a life, not a relationship: Relational grieving in families. Research poster presented at the Association of Death Education and Counseling: 39^th Conference.
• Klaassen, D., Drisner, J., Bartel, B. T., Venema, M., & Konieczny, K. (March, 2017).  Taking grief seriously: The conceptualization and psychotherapeutic treatment of loss.  Professional Development Presentation: Abbotsford Mental Health
• Klaassen, D., Drisner, J., & Konieczny, K. (March, 2017). Existential Analysis: Foundations, inner consent, and personhood.  Guest Lecture at Capilano University. 
• Drisner, J. (February, 2017). Boundaries and counselling relationships. Class Lecture: Seminar on Ethical Integration at Trinity Western University.
• Drisner, J. (January, 2017). Hermeneutic phenomenological analysis. Class Lecture: Advanced Data Analysis—Phenomenology: Interview, Data Analysis & Writing at Trinity Western University. 
• Drisner, J. & Bentum, B. (October, 2016). Grieving is together: Turning toward loss and relationships.  Research presented at the MA Counselling Psychology Colloquium.
• Kwee, J., Launeanu, M., McDonald, M., Begalka, B., Chan, E., Drisner, J., & Bartel, T. (June, 2016). Clinical supervision in counselling psychology: An integrative developmental-phenomenological approach. Workshop presented at the Canadian Psychological Association: 77^th Convention.
• Bartel, T. & Drisner, J. (April, 2015). No one grieves alone: Relational dimensions of bereavement. Research poster presented at the Association of Death Education and Counseling: 38^th Conference.
• Bartel, T. & Drisner, J. (October, 2015). Death ends a life, not a relationship: Family bereavement, relational grieving, and continuing bonds. Research presented at the MA Counselling Psychology Colloquium.
• Drisner, J., Launeanu, M., Chan, E., Kier, S., & Oetter, Y. (June, 2015). Existential analysis in counselling clinical practice and supervision. Workshop presented at the MA Counselling Psychology Colloquium. 
• Bartel, T. & Drisner, J. (June, 2015). Death ends a life, not a relationship: Family bereavement, relational grieving, and continuing bonds. Research presented at the Canadian Psychological Association: 76^th Convention. 
• Drisner, J. (June, 2014). To fill a void:  Compulsive tendencies and the empty self.  Research proposal presented at the « Journée d’Étude: Recherches en psychologie à l’Université Catholique de l’Oùest (UCO) & Concordia University College of Alberta (CUCA) ». Institut de Psychologie et Sociologie Appliquée (IPSA), UCO, Angers, France, June 12, 2014. Supervisors : Dr. Farzad Zaré-Bawani & Dr. Wendy Pullin.