You are invited to participate in a two-part series we will be offering to students in the Wes community regarding personal trauma and substance use on campus.
In the first part, Understanding, Validating & Healing From Trauma, Demetrius Colvin (SRC), Jami Carlacio (ORSL), and September Johnson (WesWell) will speak about various forms of trauma they have encountered and the coping mechanisms- both healthy and unhealthy- that they have used to deal with it. In the second part, Coping and Connecting in Crisis: Substance Use and Self-Care During College, the speakers will share their experience as it relates to substance use (in the family and personally) and again, how they found hope by using effective coping skills and seeking help.
The presentation blends storytelling with professional knowledge and aims to reach students through presenters personal accounts of trauma and substance use. The focus ultimately centers on coping, recovery, and resilience, with the message being that life is messy but/and that we can emerge from it whole when we have the right support and resources. We ask that you promote these two events with students, staff, and/or faculty you know who may benefit from it, whether as a trauma sufferer/survivor or as a resource for anyone who might need help. To be clear, we hope to start a campus-wide conversation about the increased intensity of challenges facing college students today as they navigate illness, death, isolation, fear, and insecurity due to the pandemic and to the effects of structural racism.
The presentations will be held on:
Wednesday March 3 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Zoom Link: https://tinyurl.com/validatingtrauma
Wednesday March 10 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Zoom Link: https://tinyurl.com/copingincrisis
Please reach out to us if you have questions or comments, and thank you in advance for spreading the message.
Sincerely,
Demetrius Colvin, Jami Carlacio, and September Johnson
