Author: Patrice Powers-Barker

Passport to Retirement: Charting Your Own Course

Passport to Retirement: Charting Your Own Course on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at Maumee Senior Center

 

Short description: The journey through retirement is different for everyone but there are some common elements to consider steering you towards success and satisfaction.

Presented by: Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension, Lucas County, email powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Resources from presentation:

Wellness Wheel Worksheet Self Assessment & Action Plan

  • Name the present, look forward to the future – Rose, Thorn, and Bud
  • Use your data and your dreams
  • Connect with others and utilize resources

Handout:  Charting Course_Handout_2025

Additional articles:

OSU Extension, Lucas County:

References:

  • Gonzalez, A. (2018, May 24). A mindful way to reflect: Rose, thorn, and bud. Mindful Schools. https://www.mindfulschools.org/
  • Kumar, A., Killingsworth, M., and Gilovich, T. (2014, August 21). Waiting for merlot: Anticipatory consumption of experiential and material purchases. Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614546556
  • Lieberman, M., Eisenberger, N., Crockett, M., Tom, S., Pfeifer, S., and Way, B. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17576282
  • Mirgain, S. (2020, April 7). The surprising benefit of going through difficult times. UW School of Medicine and Public Health. https://www.uwhealth.org/news/surprising-benefit-going-through-difficult-times
  • NCFR Report: Non Normative Transitions, Winter, 2019, National Council on Family Relations, https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/winter-2019
  • Neff, K., Rude, S., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2007). An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of Research in Personality. Volume 41: 908-916.
  • Polk, M.G., Smith, E.L., Zhang, L.-R., & Neupert, S.D. (2020). Thinking ahead and staying in the present: Implications for reactivity to daily stressors. Personality and Individual Differences.
  • Praharso, N., Tear, M., Cruwys, T. (2017). Stressful life transitions and wellbeing: A comparison of the stress buffering hypothesis and the social identity model of identity change. Psychiatry Research. Volume 247: 265-275
  • Manage Stress: Strengthen Your Support Network. (2024). American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/manage-social-support
  • Wellness Wheel Worksheet, Work Week, NYC, https://www.nyc.gov/assets/olr/downloads/pdf/wellness/wellnesswheelworksheet.pdf
  • Your Wellness Wheel, J. Flowers Health Institute, https://jflowershealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/jflowershealth.com_wellness_wheel_worksheet.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Labyrinth Day

 

World Labyrinth Day (WLD) is an annual event sponsored by The Labyrinth Society (TLS). Every year on the first Saturday in May thousands of people around the world participate in this moving meditation for world peace.

They encourage us to join people around the world in this moving meditation for world peace and celebration of the labyrinth experience! We will be offering a local, temporary labyrinth to walk in 2025 in collaboration with the annual Toledo Plant Exchange. (For more information on Toledo Plant Exchange, visit their Facebook page)

Date: World Labyrinth Day, Saturday, May 3rd, 2025

Lucas County Location: Lucas County Fair Grounds, 1406 Key Street, Maumee, Ohio, 43537. (Use the main gate entrance. The plant exchange and informational booths will be inside the green Arts & Crafts Building. Weather permitting, the temporary labyrinth will be outside of the building).

Time: the labyrinth will be in place from 8:30 – 11:00am.  Specific times for the Toledo Plant Exchange (see image below)

  • 8:30 – 10:00am Plant Drop Off
  • 9:00 – 9:50am Informational Booths (One of the informational booths/table will be about WLD)
  • 10:00 – 11:00am Plant Distribution (event may end early if all plants are gone)

The Plant Exchange will be complete that morning so if anyone is interested in walking a labyrinth at 1:00pm as part of the WLD tradition, we recommend a beautiful, permanent labyrinth, just across the Maumee River at the Norma Stark Memory Garden and Labyrinth in Perrysburg, Ohio.

New to labyrinths? Read Life is a Journey. So is a Labyrinth, 2023 blog by Patrice.

Labyrinth Handout with handheld finger labyrinth

The Labyrinth Society (also linked above) is a great resource to learn about labyrinths as well as to use their  World-Wide Labyrinth Locator where you can search over 6,500 labyrinths in 90 different countries around the world!

 

Financial Wellness for EPHAC

Financial education across the lifespan with Ohio State University Extension

This presentation shares some of the OSU Extension, FCS financial education resources from Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) to Extension Public Health AmeriCorps (EPHAC)

icon of woman and man holding fists in air similar to Rosie the Riveter to promote American volunteers and hard work

EPHAC members: please share resources with local partners and please use whatever materials are most useful to you personally. For example, I wrote a blog about the six-lesson Manage Your Money program, titled Why I am Bringing Work Home related to a six-week financial education email program many years ago! The main point is: “The risk …..is that it looks like we’ve got it all together!  We don’t have it all together, but as we work on areas where we need to improve, we will not forget to applaud the past choices and decisions where we got it right. Even for individuals and couples who have extensive experience and success with a household budget, it’s always a good idea to do a regular review, especially when there are changes in who is living in the house or with income or expenses.”

Contact Information: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), powers-barker.1@osu.edu

PowerPoint from webinar: EPHAC_financial_2025

“To personalize your financial plan, you need your own data. Invest the time now for a better payoff later” Manage Your Money, OSU Extension

Resources (links) shared in the presentation:

 

 

National and State Partners:

 

References: 

Arah, O., A., (2009). On the relationship between individual and population health. Med Health and Care Philos. 12:235:244. doi: 10.1007/s11019-008-9173-8.

Bartholomae, S., Kiss, D. E., & Pippidis, M. (2024). Documenting Cooperative Extension’s family resource management impacts: Insights and outcomes from a national effort. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 12(2), 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1434

Housing Counseling through Cooperative Extension (2017). The Bridge: The Office of Housing Counseling Newsletter. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. VOLUME 5, ISSUE 9 MARCH 2017  https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/OHC_BRIDGE033017.PDF

Loibl, C., Durhan, J., and Moulton, S. (2018). Rich Opportunities from Collaboration with a State Housing Finance Agency. Journal of Extension. v56-7 iw5. https://open.clemson.edu/joe/vol56/iss7/16/

Rupp, M., J., and Powers-Barker, P. (2024). Homebuyer Education: Individualized financial education during a major life purchase at AFCPE Symposium 2024. go.osu.edu/afcpehomebuyer

Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being. (2025). The Ripple Foundation. https://rippel.org/vital-conditions/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mindfulness Practices for Group Leaders and Your Group

As a leader, you can discover your own favorite mindfulness routine. You can also teach these to your group. Mindfulness Practices for Individuals and Groups Handout with basic descriptions of seven mindful practices.

Happify Video: Why Mindfulness Is a Superpower: An Animation. Narrated by Dan Harris, Animation by Katy Davis, (less than 3 minutes) December 2015

If you liked the Mindful S.T.O.P. or 5-3-1, you might like some additional Mindful Numbers and Acronyms

If you are new to mindfulness our would like to try some new exercises, visit this blog for links to free, online guided practices that are all 10 minutes or less. A Day of Mini Mindfulness Practices:  go.osu.edu/dailymindfulness

All of the practices shared are collected from other sources. All of the references are listed below if you would like more information.

Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Family and Consumer Sciences  powers-barker.1@osu.edu 

References:

Duncan, L. G., Coatsworth, J. D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: implications AR5for parent-child relationships and prevention research. Clinical child and family psychology review, 12(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-009-0046-3

Fuller, J. L., & Fitter, E. A. (2020). Mindful Parenting: A Behavioral Tool for Parent Well-Being. Behavior analysis in practice, 13(4), 767–771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00447-6

Kumpfer, K., Brown, J. (2011). Strengthening Families Program, Handouts and Worksheets. https://strengtheningfamiliesprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/All-SFP_ENGLISH_Handouts_2020-10.pdf   (1-8)

Powers-Barker, P. (2025). Cultivating loving-kindness. Live Smart Ohio. Ohio State University Extension. https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/category/family-and-relationships/

Self-Compassion Break, Greater Good in Action, Berkeley, https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassion_break

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Life Events: Set Yourself Up for Successful Life Transitions

 

Joint CTSO Day at Penta Career Center, Friday, March 21st, 2025

Questions on this presentation: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County, FCS, powers-barker.1@osu.edu 

From Presentation:

Complementary Handouts and Links

 

References

 

 

 

Your Intentional Annual Work Plan: Creating an Efficient, Effective, and Adaptable Structure to Meet Your Goals

We are the Keys to Extension. Extension Conference, December 10 – 11, 2024. Columbus, Ohio. Breakout Session 4: Wednesday, December 11th, 11:00am – 11:50am.

Is your calendar a chaotic whirlwind of activity and deadlines? OSU Extension offers some of the most autonomous, exciting, professional interest and community driven-careers. Designing and driving your goals effectively within the annual calendar can be challenging. Being intentional with your work plan can help ensure that your professional goals, community needs, and alignment with your work teams and partners across the state will create success. Learn hands-on tools to design and follow your annual calendar with intention, direction, focus, and clarity for decision making. As important as all of the Extension Keys are, we will focus on the key of efficiency, giving you the key to unlocking the work plan that works for you. #ExtensionKeysEfficiency

Presenters:

Patrice Powers-Barker, Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Melissa Rupp, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fulton County rupp.26@osu.edu

Session Handouts:

Time Management Resources:

For your work plan, recommended supplies:

  • Your data
  • Hard copy, monthly calendar for upcoming year such as https://www.calendar-12.com/printable_calendar/2025 
  • Pens, markers, post-it notes, dry erase board and/or poster sized paper to write on, worksheets, other planning tools
  • Copy of organization(s) mission and vision. For example, our Extension mission and vision but also others such as a professional organization or your personal list of values.
  • Your “reward” – how will you make this important task as enjoyable as possible? Partners? Lunch break at a favorite restaurant?

Just for fun – Patrice shared her poster of the iceberg with a Venn Diagram and all the below the surface examples. This link is NOT a time management example, nor will it help you design your work plan but it’s fun to design your own iceberg and watch it float: https://joshdata.me/iceberger.html

References: 

A&P Promotion Instructions for Extension Educators, specifically General Expectations of each Educator Level

Atlassian. (2022) 7 productivity methods: which one’s just right for you? www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/7-productivity-methods

Harder, A. & Narine, L. (2020). Personal Health, Role, and Time Management Competency Training Needs of Extension Agents in Florida. The Journal of Extension, 58(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.58.01.19

How a top Harvard Business School Professor Approaches Intention Setting. (2017). Thrive Global Staff. https://community.thriveglobal.com/how-a-top-harvard-business-school-professor-approaches-intention-setting/

Lokenauth, A. (n.d.) Productivity Cheat Sheet. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/business-infographics_productivity-cheat-sheet-credits-to-andrew-activity-7176277064835096579-PftG

Nine Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools. University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences. https://www.usa.edu/blog/time-management-techniques/

Powers-Barker, P. (2021). Now and Later: The paradox of living in the moment and planning for the future. Live Healthy Live Well. Ohio State University Extension. https://livehealthyosu.com/2021/11/15/now-and-later-the-paradox-of-living-in-the-moment-and-planning-for-the-future/

Russell, M. B., Attoh, P. A., Chase, T., Gong, T., Kim, J., & Liggans, G. L. (2019). Burnout and Extension Educators: Where We Are and Implications for Future Research. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 7(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.54718/SFPK7165

Russell, M. B., & Liggans, G. L. (2020). Burnout: Examining the Effects of Job Characteristics Across Extension Disciplines. The Journal of Extension, 58(1), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.58.01.20

Relating Mindfully: Creating Healthy Relationships

Investing time and care to your relationships is not only enjoyable but it can also be good for your health! Join Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator for kindness and connection strategies. This is part of the Thrive in 2024-2025 Unleashing your potential for personal and professional success. (Thursday, November 14, 2024)

 

PowerPoint: Relating Mindfully: Creating Healthy Relationships

Try these Tools for Healthy Relationships:

 

References: 

Abrams, Z. (2023). American Psychological Association. The Science of Why Friendships Keep Us Healthy https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/cover-story-science-friendship

Bohn, K. (2017). Love actually: Americans agree on what makes people ‘feel the love’. Penn State. https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/love-actually-americans-agree-what-makes-people-feel-love

Fuller, J., Fitter, E. (2020) Mindful Parenting: A Behavioral Tool for Parent Well-Being. Behav Analysis Practice 13, 767–771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00447-6

Myers-Walls, J. A., Ballard, S. M., Darling, C., & Myers-Bowman, K. S. (2011). Reconceptualizing the domain and boundaries of family life education. Family Relations, 60, 357-372. www.ncfr.org/sites/default/files/domains_article_fr.pdf

Our Shared Values. The Ohio State University https://www.osu.edu/shared-values

Poulsen, S. (2008). A fine balance: The magic ratio to a healthy relationship. Purdue Extension.  https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/cfs/cfs-744-w.pdf

Social Connection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/about/index.html

Social Wellness. The Ohio State University, Office of Student Life. https://swc.osu.edu/wellness-education-and-resources/ten-dimensions-of-wellness/social-wellness

What does a healthy relationship look like? New York State, Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevention. https://www.ny.gov/teen-dating-violence-awareness-and-prevention/what-does-healthy-relationship-look

 

 

 

 

 

Homebuyer Education: Individualized financial education during a major life purchase

 

On Friday, November 22, 2024 at 10:20am, Melissa J. Rupp and Patrice Powers-Barker will be presenting Homebuyer Education: Individualized financial education for a major life purchase at this year’s Symposium. AFCPE Symposium 2024 is the intersection of financial education, research, and practice.

Welcome to Ohio! Here’s a recipe for candy Buckeyes

A simple mindful reminder:

PowerPoint: Homebuyer Education_AFCPE_2024

National, State, and Local Partners:

Financial Education Resources and Tools for Homebuyers:

If someone is just starting to consider homeownership and calls the office with questions, the CFPB has a roadmap and information on Buying a house: Tools and resources for homebuyers.

Depending on their personal situation, these resources are used by the educator for discussion on the phone call and shared in the follow-up email with the first-time homebuyer.  

Thank you for visiting the Buckeye State. In our session we talked about the famous Buckeye dessert recipe: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/candy/ohio-state-buckeyes.html The only thing Patrice would add to this recipe is to add the toothpicks to the peanut butter balls before putting them in the freezer.

Contact Information:

  • Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences,  powers-barker.1@osu.edu ​
  • Melissa J. Rupp, AFC®, Assistant Professor, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, rupp.26@osu.edu

 

References:

Housing Counseling through Cooperative Extension (2017). The Bridge: The Office of Housing Counseling Newsletter. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. VOLUME 5, ISSUE 9 MARCH 2017  https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/OHC_BRIDGE033017.PDF

Loibl, C., Durhan, J., and Moulton, S. (2018). Rich Opportunities from Collaboration with a State Housing Finance Agency. Journal of Extension. v56-7 iw5. https://open.clemson.edu/joe/vol56/iss7/16/

Myhre, M., and Elsasser Watson, N. (2017). Housing Counseling Works. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Housing-Counseling-Works.pdf

Peck, L., Moulton, S., Bocian, D., Morris, T., DeMarco, D., US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Public Development and Research, Abt Associates. (2021). Long-Term Impact Report: The HUD First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration. https://www.huduser.gov/portal//portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Long-Term-Impact-Report-HUD-First-Time-Homebuyer-Education-Counseling-Demonstration.pdf

Sackett, C. (2016).  The Evidence on Homeownership Education and Counseling. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/spring16/highlight2.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Navigating Hybrid Presentations to Create Opportunities for Your County Clientele

A team of three OSU Extension, ESP Members are pleased to present at the 2024 National ESP Conference , Concurrent Session #3, on Tuesday, October 29th. The Conference is October 27-31, 2024 in Virginia Beach, VA.

 

Power Point: Navigating Hybrid Presentations to Create Opportunities for Your County Clientele

 

Handout: Pesto Recipe for freezing

 

Presented by:

  • (in-person) Candace J. Heer, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, Morrow County, heer.7@osu.edu
  • (online) Ryan McMichael, Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mercer County, mcmichael.33@osu.edu
  • (online) Patrice Powers-Barker, Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County,
  • powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Bios:

Candace J. Heer is an Assistant Professor and an Ohio State University Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), serving in Morrow County. As a Licensed Social Worker (Ohio) and a Certified Personal & Family Finance Educator (AAFCS) she specializes in Health and Well-being and Financial Wellness and a focus on food preservation and food safety. You can find Candace crocheting, reading, watching sci-fi and spending time with family and friends including her furry family members.

Ryan McMichael is an Ohio State University Extension Educator in Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), serving in Mercer County. He enjoys working with agricultural producers and county residents teaching on a range of topics from farm business management, agronomy, pesticide safety and consumer horticulture.

Patrice Powers-Barker is an Ohio State University Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), serving in Lucas County. As a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE), Patrice’s role is to teach FCS to families across the lifespan, and to foster positive individual and family development for optimal growth. When not at work, Patrice loves spending time with her family, treasuring the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and appreciating the abundance of her local community.

References: 

Ballard, K., & Nix, K. (2018). Coming to Grips with the Way the World Works. The Journal of Extension, 56(4), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.56.04.22

Baughman, S. (2019). Promising Practices for Leading Virtual Teams. The Journal of Extension, 57(5), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.57.05.22

Zimbroff, A. (2023). The Future of Extension Programming Post-Pandemic: The Need for Diverse Approaches. The Journal of Extension, 61(2), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.02.06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mindful Parenting

child's bubble on the end of a bubble wandMindful Parenting is the “parents’ abilities to pay attention to their child and their parenting in a way that is intentional, present centered, and nonjudgmental” (Coatsworth et. al, 2018, p513).

If you have questions about a Mindful Parenting lesson in Lucas County, please email Patrice powers-barker.1@osu.edu

From Lucas County Mindful Parenting Lesson:

Recommended Handouts:

Good Articles for Specific Ages of Children:

Important Reference: (There are many great journal articles on Mindful Parenting but this one from 2009, shares a  model that has been used and studied for many additional, current publications).

Duncan, L., Coatsworth, J., and Greenberg, M. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: Implications for parent-child relationships and prevention research. Clinical child and family psychology review, 12(3), 255-270. doi: 10.1007/s10567-009-0046-3. PMID: 19412664; PMCID: PMC2730447.

References: