Article archive / July 1, 2015
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 16.
Organization Starts July 11 Katrina 10th Anniversary Wellness Workshops Planned for August
Members of the mental health community and organizers in the Louisiana Psychological Association will hold a planning meeting on July 11, in New Orleans for resiliency workshops to be held in August.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth, who will serve as the Lead Workshop Author and Facilitator, noted in a recent press release that volunteers are needed to help with Anniversary Workshops to be conducted on August 15, 22, and 29, 2015.
“Anniversary reactions typically occur on or around the date of an environmental trauma and involve emotionally charged responses that cause people to re-experience the event,” Nemeth said. “This August will mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As we anticipate strong Anniversary reactions, members of the Louisiana Psychological Association are preparing 10th Anniversary Wellness Workshops. We intend to hold these Workshops, as a community service, for those in New Orleans who were and remain strongly affected by Hurricane Katrina.”
The first workshop will be held to train the trainers, noted Nemeth, and will be open to all practicing psychologists and psychotherapists. They will be trained in successful anniversary reaction techniques as were cited in a 2012 journal article authored by Nemeth, Kuriansky, and others. Workshop participants will be given an opportunity to share their experiences and to focus on their resilient recovery, she said. These workshops will be offered to the New Orleans public, free of charge, as coordinated by the trainers.
The primary coordinator is Kerritt Saintal, B.S., a Loyola graduate, and a native of New Orleans. Members of the workshop development committee include Drs. Gail Gillespie, Beverley Stubblefield, Fernando Pastrana, Kim VanGeffen, Carolyn Weyand, Janet Matthews, Lee Matthews, Lucinda DeGrange, and Joseph Tramontana. Kathleen Randall is serving as a community liaison volunteer.
The group is asking community leaders and organizations to contribute their expertise, meeting space, transportation, funding, and/or food for participants. The Louisiana Psychological Association will offer Continuing Professional Development credits for qualified volunteers who participate in the training and facilitate groups.
For those interested in participating, donating resources, or for more information, contact Dr. Nemeth at dgnemeth@gmail.com, or Kerritt Saintal at saintalkerri@yahoo.com.
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