By Tammy Blackard Cook, LCSW, CDWF

A few years ago, my long-time Aspire business partner (and friend) and I decided we wanted to do more than work as trauma therapists, helping one person at a time. While our work as therapists is valuable, there is so much pain in the world that we would never be able to help—not us, nor all the other trauma therapists combined. There aren’t enough of us.

In our clinical training, we had stumbled on a couple of mental health public health models. What does it mean for something to be public health? The general definition is that it’s something that affects the population as a whole. But to us, the most exciting part of these models is that anyone can learn it, and anyone can teach it. We could introduce these models and help others learn to teach the models, thereby enabling more people to learn how to take care of their mental health.

Fast forward to today. Our field is seeing an unprecedented rise in mental health needs:

  • our phones don’t stop ringing with referrals
  • it’s hard to get in with any mental health practitioner these days
  • stories about people “losing it” on planes and in airports are becoming widespread
  • articles about teens and kids struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts have been all over the news during the pandemic
  • ads for online mental health companies have skyrocketed; just listen to any podcast with ads

I could go on…

It’s time we realize that if we don’t take care of our mental health the same way we take care of our physical health, we will never be truly healthy. Health is not just about our body, it’s about our mind, emotions, and soul as well. Even though we all have a nervous system, very few of us know how it works and how to work with it.

For example, do you have a lot of GI issues? The odds are pretty good that this is connected to stress and/or trauma in your life. Does your kid or teen seem not themselves since the pandemic started, either more shut down or more irritable, or more excited and anxious? They are not alone. Do you find yourself less able to handle interactions with others since the pandemic? Maybe more nervous than you used to be?

For all the above reasons and more, Aspire will be hosting a training of the public health model Reconnect for Resilience September 17-18, 2021, here in Raleigh! Please consider joining us. You will learn some invaluable skills that will help you and those you love for the rest of your life. The training is two full days which allows enough time to practice the skills that the model teaches.

The cost of training is $260 per person, but please consider paying more if you’re able. Because this is for all people, we don’t want affordability to be a barrier to anyone. The Resiliency Collaborative is accepting donations to offset the cost of the training for those who want to come and can’t afford it. 100% of your donation will go toward others’ registration fees. Click here to register or donate money.

If you’re looking to learn more about the effects of Reconnect for Resilience™ (Reconnect) trainings, click here to read Tricia Wilson’s beautiful experience attending a recent training at Hope Reins. Hope Reins is a 33-acre ranch located in Raleigh, NC, that serve kids in life crisis through rescue horses and restoration in Christ.