Building Resiliency During a Pandemic: "Being a Non-Anxious Presence"
March 25, 2021
The Greater Charlottesville Trauma-Informed Community Network virtual meeting took place on Monday, March 22, and featured a discussion on "Building Resiliency During a Pandemic." View the recording of the meeting here.
Panelists included Laura Handler, LPC, Director of Prevention Services, Region Ten CSB; Melody Pannell, MSW, M.Div., MACE, Resilience Educator and Therapist, The Women's Initiative; and Erin Tucker, Executive Director, On Our Own. The panel discussed the impact of the pandemic on their staff, offices, and programming and shared the latest news about their services to the community. All three organizations have seen an increased demand for services. Melody summed up the goals expressed by all the panelists when she said, "We are focusing on safety and keeping calm. On being a non-anxious presence. On staying connected even though we’ve been socially distancing and making sure we remain competent." More highlights of the discussion can be read below.
Information on the resources available at each organization can be accessed by clicking on these links:
On Our Own; see the member groups at a glance here.
Region Ten; download their spring prevention offerings flier here.
The Women's Initiative; download their spring prevention offerings flier here.
Rebecca Kendall, Coalition Director and Development Analyst at Region 10, shared information about Mental Health Awareness Month, which takes place this May. The Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition is putting together a calendar with all of the community events that will happen, and their goal is to have at least one event per day that is free to everyone. Email Rebecca to add your event to the calendar.
Network administrator Alicia Lenahan shared information about the 2021 Virginia Resilience Week, slated for May 2-8, and invited attendees to be part of a workgroup in support of that week. Please email her to participate.
The next network meeting will take place on Monday, May 24, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Discussion Highlights
When the panel was asked what they were optimistic about going into the spring, Laura said, "“I am most optimistic about having some of those in-person interactions again. We really crave that chance to talk to each other and be with each other.” She also noted that a cause for optimism is that they had learned that they can be more flexible than they realized in trying to reach the populations where there are barriers.
Melody said, "I am most optimistic about the way we have been able to continue services and keep that connection with our clients... we have also been able to start doing some in-person sessions with clients who are comfortable coming into the office. We are going to continue telehealth. It’s a norm now where people are able to contact a counselor from anywhere in society.” She also said that she was excited about her position which was was created due to the pandemic and to the racial and political atmosphere that was highlighted in 2020. The position focuses on building resiliency and on care for the caregiver, including looking at racialized, historical, or cultural trauma.
Erin felt optimistic that more people she knew were being vaccinated and that On Our Own had been able to continue their pantry days twice a week throughout the pandemic. They have been able to offer online group sessions all day long and recently added online yoga sessions. When the weather gets warmer, they plan to hold some socially-distant outdoor meetings.
A comment by audience member Nicholas Smith led to a discussion about the stigma associated with mental health in the Latinex and other populations. Melody said, "It’s especially important for BIPOC communities to work to overcome this stigma. Coming from a strength-based perspective, one of [their support systems] may be their family systems. Hiring BIPOC staff or staff who can speak the languages is also important."
Laura agreed and said, "It’s figuring out what are those natural supports and how do we tap into that in a way that feels less threatening. Addressing this stigma is certainly something in the field of prevention that we are trying to address on a regular basis."
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Summary written by Cathee Johnson Phillips. Please contact her with any corrections.