The SHIFT Conference

About Us

September 14th & 15th

Kent, WA

In-person

The Shift Conference:

The 11th Annual Young Adult conference aims to empower and equip individuals to be high impact leaders in their families, local communities, faith spaces, personal and professional spheres. Attendees will be encouraged to evaluate specific areas of their lives to see/hear where God is calling them to make necessary SHIFT(S) to maintain and sustain themselves.

Purpose:

The Shift Conference is an opportunity for Young Adults (18-39) to fellowship, learn, network and worship. Through fellowship, we connect like-minded Christians looking for community, support, and service to others. We offer practical and spiritual workshops to overcome life’s challenges and critical issues. Through various activities, large and small, we create opportunities for attendees to meet and make new friends with other young adults from various backgrounds and professional networks. Inspire growth and change through dynamic workshops on Saturday with the instructional and healing power of Jesus at the core. Sunday morning together we will uplift the name of Jesus at worship service.

Theme:

Join us at this year's Shift Conference for two transformative workshops: Help! My Family’s Trippin’: Navigating Family Dynamics and Pathways to Conflict Resolution, hosted by three premier licensed mental health clinicians. This event is completely free!

Speakers

About Us

Help! My Family's Trippin': Navigating Family Dynamics

Session 1) Help! My Family’s Trippin: Navigating Family Dynamics

Description: Family dynamics can be complex and challenging, especially in today's fast-paced and interconnected world. This workshop aims to provide young adults with the tools and insights needed to understand and navigate the often intricate relationships within their families. Presenters will discuss the various roles and patterns that emerge in family settings, exploring how these dynamics impact individual well-being and interpersonal relationships. Attendees will learn practical strategies to manage and improve their interactions with family members, fostering healthier and more harmonious relationships. Whether you're dealing with communication barriers, generational gaps, or differing values, this session will equip you with the knowledge to navigate your family's unique dynamics effectively

Session 2) Help! My Family is Trippin: Pathways to Conflict Resolution

Description: Building on the foundations laid in the first session, this workshop delves into the practical aspects of resolving conflicts within the family. Conflict is an inevitable part of any relationship, but how it is managed can make all the difference. This session will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of conflict resolution techniques tailored to family settings. Presenters will share effective communication skills, mediation strategies, and problem-solving methods to address and resolve conflicts constructively. Participants will engage in interactive activities and role-playing scenarios to practice these techniques, helping them to transform conflicts into opportunities for growth and deeper understanding. Join us to learn how to create a healthy family environment, even when faced with challenging situations.

We are also excited to announce that Pastor C. Ivan Johnson, Superintendent of Greater Destiny Church in Tacoma, WA, will be our guest preacher on Sunday morning, promising an inspiring conclusion to the weekend.

Speakers

Conference Speakers

The SHIFT Conference Welcomes this year's facilitators and guest speaker:

Daryllyn Harris-Waller

PhD, LCSW

- Seattle, WA

Yecenia Harris

MA, LMHC, CMHS, EMMHS

-Seattle, WA

Alanah Dillard

LMFT, CMHS, MHP

- Seattle, WA

Pastor C. Ivan Johnson

Supt.

- Tacoma, WA

Meet Our Guest Speaker

Superintendent C. Ivan Johnson is a native of Tacoma, Washington. He is an author, a nationally recognized conference and Gospel concert host and speaker. He is the Pastor and Founder of the Greater Destiny Church of God in Christ in Tacoma, WA, a church in which he established in August 2016.

In July of 2017, Ivan was noted as one of the 40 most influential millennials in the Church of God in Christ. He serves the Church of God in Christ, the largest black Pentecostal denomination in the world, as Vice President of the international Music Department. He is the Executive Director of Greater Destiny 253 a nonprofit organization that provides services to underserved and marginalized BIPOC youth and families. With the community at heart he serves a myriad of community boards and alliances, notably, the City of Tacoma, Human Rights Commission, as a Commissioner for Human right, for a second term.

Meet Our Facilitators

Dr. Daryllyn Harris-Waller is a licensed clinical social worker and founding CEO of Renewed Essence Counseling and Wellness. She earned her BASW and MSW from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2006. She earned her PhD from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is a well-rounded clinician with several years of experience as a case manager, college professor, and mental health therapist. Her research focus is on the lived experiences of African American women who have encountered depression or depression symptoms. She is a Black feminist researcher and uses her work to build an understanding of facilitators and barriers to mental health and to decrease mental health stigma.

She is just as committed to her own healing as she is to facilitating and helping others heal in mind, body, and soul. She is intentional about filling herself with love, purpose, relaxation, and self-care. She has a deep and relatable understanding with her clients and truly acknowledges the sacred work that is done in therapy. Her passion for healing and service ignites her community service, leadership, social justice advocacy, and interest in mental health policy development.

Rooted in her personal faith, she holds space for all people and the integration of their faith and or spirituality in their healing journey. She enjoys dancing, singing, pilates, and being outside connecting with the beauty in nature. She is a wife and the mother to two beautiful three-year-old twins. Daryllyn is a tenured faculty member of Highline College supporting students in the classroom as an instructor and in the Counseling Center as a mental health therapist.

Yecenia Giron Harris is a Salvadoran-American Licensed Mental Health Therapist and founder of Familias United Counseling Services PLLC in the state of Washington. Yecenia believes in providing clients with a safe environment where they can grow, reflect, challenge ideas, and come to know who they are in a deep and meaningful way. Yecenia believes everyone has a story to share of the obstacles they have overcome and their resilience.

Yecenia has worked with a diverse population by providing individual and group therapy both in English and Spanish. She is committed to social justice and providing counseling from a multi-culture lens to adults, youth, children, and families.

Yecenia has worked in community health centers, indigenous communities, and at an alternative high school and middle school with at-risk youth who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, emotional and behavioral problems. She has experience working with natural supports and providing parenting skills.

Yecenia has experience working with clients on a variety of issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, relationships, family problems, behavior concerns, ADHD, domestic violence, chronic pain, and self-worth/self-esteem.

Alanah Dillard completed her undergraduate studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA where she earned a double Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology with a concentration in Community. She holds a clinical license in Marriage and Family Therapy and an Approved Clinical Supervisor in the state of Washington. Alanah is the Owner and Founder of Ace Odyssey Counseling Services PLLC, current faculty member of Pacific Lutheran University and currently serves as a Youth Homeless Prevention Housing Director for King and Pierce County.

Since 2005, she has worked with youth and families in various settings, including hospitals, residential, schools, community mental health and crisis street outreach. Alanah has a commitment and passion for serving children and families from birth through the age of 24 of special populations: foster care/system involvement, LBGTQ+, girls of color addressing trauma, mood disturbances, identity and self-esteem, urban affairs, grief and loss, and race relations with an emphasis in faith/spirituality. Alanah is also certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and specializes in youth, teenager and young adults’ adjustments and life stage transitions.

Alanah is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Outside her clinical work, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, reading, exploring nature and plenty of rest.