1) What ages can attend?

Workshops are for adults of all ages, and 15-17 year olds if attending with a parent or legal guardian.

2) Who are the workshops for?

These workshops are great for a wide variety of humans:

People Seeking Personal Growth who are interested in self-improvement, emotional development, and well-being.

Therapists and Counselors, & Other Professionals who are looking for new techniques to support their clients' emotional health.

Teachers and Educators who wish to integrate emotional well-being practices into their classrooms.

Creative Folx: Artists, musicians, and storytellers looking to boost their creativity and emotional health.

Community Leaders who want to foster emotional well-being within their communities.

Anyone Experiencing Emotional Challenges: Individuals dealing with stress, anxiety, or other emotional difficulties who are seeking new ways to cope and heal.

Caregivers and Parents seeking strategies to support their own and their children’s or dear ones’ emotional well-being.

Corporate Employees and Managers: Professionals aiming to enhance emotional intelligence and well-being in the workplace.

Students and Young Adults: Young people interested in developing emotional resilience and mindfulness skills.  (Ages 18+ or 15-17 y.o. with a parent/guardian).

People who enjoy singing OR who got negative messages about their singing voice and would like a supportive place to re-claim using and enjoying their voice. Singing is optional at workshops.

Taking the whole series--all 3 workshops—teaches you all the songs and explores all the Watering the Heart Root themes:

·   Feel compassion for ourselves

·   Connect with joy, creativity, and innate worthiness

·   Open to positive possibilities & gratitude

·   Appreciate our bodies

·   Be more fully present

·   Align with energies of love, wisdom & guidance

3) Who is not a good fit for these workshops?
The workshops are not a good fit for:

• People who have difficulty staying respectful when others have opinions and experiences different from their own.

• People who can’t allow some balance of talking and listening during discussions (i.e. people who interrupt too much or don’t leave enough space for others to speak.

• People who, for whatever reasons, cannot bring curiosity and an openness for learning. 

4) Location: Where are the workshops held?

Workshops are held in the Sunroom at the Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Ave. in Minneapolis, MN. The building and room are ADA accessible. Free street parking is available within 1 block, it is on a bus route, and bike racks are available outside. The building has a wide variety of tenants and uses—it’s not just for “performers”, despite it’s name. Our workshops are not about performing; they are about education, grounding, deepening connections with ourselves and hopefully with others.

5) Can you bill my insurance company for the registration fee? Is this “therapy”?

Classes and workshops are not reimbursable by insurance companies, as they do not involve a medical diagnosis and treatment plan. The workshops are educational and supportive. They are great on their own or as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It’s likely they will feel growthful and helpful, but they are not psychotherapy and Mindy is not providing psychotherapy in these workshops. However, the workshops do incorporate important things Mindy has learned about well-being as a psychologist over the years.

6) What if I “can’t sing” or have no musical experience?

All voices are welcome and valued at the workshops——whether or not you sing on-key or have a “good” voice. I hope this workshop will offer an opportunity for those who got negative messages about their voice to re-claim using and enjoying their voice, among people who feel more comfortable singing. Singing is optional. It’s fine to listen and meditate on the music and messages, too. No musical training, aptitude, or experience is needed to participate in the workshops.

7) What are the cancellation and refund policies?

Let us know in writing (email mindy@mindybenowitz.com) if you need to cancel.

• Refunds are as follows:
  Full refund if you cancel 15 days or more before the Workshop.

• 50% refund if you cancel 8 to 14 days before the Workshop.

• No refund if you cancel 7 or fewer days before the Workshop. However, you can choose to have us credit 50% of the fee you paid toward a future Watering the Heart Root workshop. This offer expires 1 year from the start date of the workshop that you canceled.

• If you received a discount based on registering for multiple workshops or attendees, if you cancel any of those discounted Workshops, the refund amount will be adjusted to bring the attended workshop(s) fees back to the regular rate.

8) Will the things I share in the workshop be kept confidential?

Every participant must agree to keep confidential what others in the workshop share about themselves. People are free to share about your own experiences, but not about others’. The Terms and Conditions you agree to by registering for the workshop include: “Privacy: Respect others' privacy. Don’t share personal info that other participants discussed during the Workshop without permission.”

Please note, as a licensed psychologist, I am legally obligated to report to the appropriate agencies, (if I am given enough identifying information about the persons involved): current abuse or neglect of children or legally vulnerable adults; medical or mental health professionals who have been sexual with their patients; pregnant people who are currently using certain illegal drugs. I’m also mandated to take steps to prevent an imminent suicide or homicide.

9) What makes this workshop different from other wellness or personal growth workshops?

• Watering the Heart Root workshops are the only ones to use these unique songs and chants, designed to deepen emotional and spiritual well-being. Singing is such a holistic way to integrate new energies and information! 

• Others’ workshops focus on singing OR psychological tools and information OR spirituality. Watering the Heart Root gives the option to combine all these in unique, substantive ways.

• Other wellness workshops tend to teach about well-being in terms of sleep habits, nutrition, mindfulness, etc. Those are important, but these workshops focus mainly on “the inner game”–on simple but profound ways to understand and work with our emotions, motivations, and spirituality. 

10) Are CE credits available?

Available soon—check with Mindy about this:

Depending on your profession, you may be able to receive CE credits. If you request, I can provide CEU description forms to submit to your professional board. (Check with your board to confirm your board’s particular requirements for acceptance, CEU allotment for workshop hours provided, etc.)

11) Covid and Illness Safety Protocols:

We value the inclusion, health and safety needs of all people. Some workshop participants will likely be at higher risk for severe illness from Covid, RSV, or flu, or are in contact with someone who is. Wearing masks helps protect everyone, especially those who are most vulnerable. Therefore, masking at workshops is required, to ensure that everyone feels secure and can fully engage in the activities. Masks may be removed while eating or drinking.

Please don’t attend if you feel unwell or are having covid or respiratory illness symptoms. If you’ve been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid in the previous 5 days, please stay home or take a home covid test to make sure it’s a negative result in the hours before the workshop. Please contact Mindy if you find out you likely had Covid when you were at the workshop, so she can make participants aware in case they want to test for covid in the following days. Mindy received the Covid vaccines and gets regular boosters.

Your participation in these safety measures helps us create a healthy and welcoming space for all.

12) What is Mindy’s professional background?

Mindy is a licensed psychologist with over 35 years of experience providing psychotherapy (individual and group) to adults with issues of depression; anxiety; sexual, physical, & emotional trauma; eating disorders; body image; misconduct/exploitation of clients by other professionals; addiction; GLBTQIA+ issue.  She’s served on the Steering Committees of MN Women in Psychology and of the MN LGBTQIA Mental Health Providers Network. For over 25 years, she led psychotherapy groups for sexual abuse survivors and on general/mixed issues. She’s given professional presentations and/or written on client-therapist boundary issues, LGBTQIA+ mental health, sexual abuse survivor healing, food issues and body image; domestic violence in lesbian relationships, and addressing heterosexism and homophobia and the interconnections with racism, classism, and sexism.

Learn more on her psychotherapy website page “About Mindy”.

13) How did Watering the Heart Root begin?

The seeds of her Watering the Heart Root project began many years ago as simple melodies Mindy created for her personal use with affirmations and short prayers. Over time, she realized they are meant to be shared, and she learned how to arrange, record and produce the songs and chants (with the help of talented others) to help more people connect with the powerful energy available, too. Her current workshops expand on themes from previous workshops she occasionally offered.

Mindy Benowitz is a psychologist in Minneapolis, MN, who weaves wisdom and tools from her personal healing path and 35 years of practicing psychotherapy, to create this collection of empowering and soothing original songs, chants, and workshops. Watering the Heart-Root is designed to help us grow into our fullest, happiest, and most authentic selves.

Read more of the back story on the Watering the Heart Root page.

14) What else would Mindy like me to know?

She believes that we are not meant to overcome our challenges alone. At times, everyone needs extra support and guidance. Sometimes our deepest and most lasting learning happens in community. And, at the heart of this whole project is Mindy’s belief that we have to know and love our own selves to be able to create communities where there’s dignity, respect, and equality for everyone. 

15) What if I have additional concerns or questions?

Please email Mindy:  mindy@mindybenowitz.com

Or send a text or voice message: Office: 612-870-0398