The holiday season is sometimes called the most wonderful time of the year, but for those who have experienced loss and other trauma, it can be anything but: A National Alliance on Mental Illness 2021 survey showed that three in five Americans feel the holidays have a negative impact on their mental health.
A group of local mental health experts will join The Tribune for “Getting Through the Holiday Season,” an online forum. The conversation will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Tribune’s Facebook page.
The Tribune’s forum will feature the following panelists:
Brittany Miller is the community outreach advocate for the YWCA North Central Indiana. Among other responsibilities, the licensed social worker educates schools, businesses and organizations about dating violence, addictions and other topics.
Velshonna Luckey works for Self-Healing Communities of Greater Michiana, a community well-being movement. She writes a monthly column for The Tribune.
Kristina Partridge is a licensed mental health counselor working as a child and adolescent therapist for Oaklawn. She works with adolescents who experience depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, substance use and dysfunction within their relationships.
Henry Mudari is a mental health social worker with the St. Joseph County Police Department and supervisor of the Crisis Services Unit. He is also an adjunct professor at Indiana University South Bend, teaching in the school of social work.
Erica Kelsey started the integrated Emotional Well-being Program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County with the goal of creating trauma-informed clubs that emphasize preventative mental health care. The program’s mission is to foster resilience in youth and reduce access barriers to exceptional mental health services.
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