During an immersive service experience, many volunteers cope with feelings of anxiety, stress, or exposure to community trauma, while simultaneously managing pre-existing mental health conditions. With appropriate training, program staff can assist volunteers in mitigating the effects of vicarious trauma and fostering resiliency through the challenges they face.

Fostering Wellness in Community: Mental Health in the Service Experience is a web-based course to help volunteer program staff:

  • gain a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of mental health;
  • learn productive responses to mental health crises;
  • develop a trauma-informed lens for leadership;
  • and implement preventative measures to promote wellness in community living.
Registration
Schedule
Facilitators
Questions?
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About the course

The course will consist of four 90-minute sessions, culminating in a fifth Q&A session to address individualized program needs and facilitate goal-setting. Facilitators will offer comprehensive resources to be utilized in and out of each session.

The session topics are as follows:

  • Session 1: Fundamentals of Mental Health
    Learning Objective: Define key concepts related to mental well-being.
  • Sessions 2: Stress, Crises, and Other Risk Factors
    Learning Objective: Recognize elements that increase potential for mental health crises.
  • Session 3: Exposure to Vicarious Trauma as a Volunteer
    Learning Objective: Understand the effects of trauma exposure and ways to mitigate its impact.
  • Session 4: Approaches to Coping and Sustaining Wellbeing
    Learning Objective: Build a “toolbox” of adaptive strategies to support volunteers in maintaining emotional and psychological wellness.
  • Session 5: Assessment of Learning, Goal-Setting, and Q&A
    Learning Objective: Address gaps in learning and individualized program needs.

Registration

We are offering one cohort for this course. The course is not limited to a certain number of participants, so multiple staff members are welcome to register.

Registration will close on July 17th. Facilitators will use feedback from the registration form to further customize the course to our members' needs, so please register as soon as possible.

Member Rate
$100

Cost is per person. If you would like more than one member of your staff to participate, please register separately as individuals.

$100

Schedule
Each session will take place on Fridays from 12:00 - 1:30pm EST.

  • Session 1: Friday, July 24th
  • Session 2: Friday, August 7th
  • Session 3: Friday, August 21st
  • Session 4: Friday, September 4th
  • Session 5: Friday, September 11th
Register Here!

Facilitators

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Christina Jeffords, MA, APCC

Christina Jeffords is a mental health therapist whose work currently supports children and young adults through challenges related to trauma, depression, and anxiety in a community mental health setting. She has specialized training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills, domestic violence, and mindfulness practices. Prior to her career in mental health, Christina was the Program Coordinator for LMU Ignatian Service Corps where she supported post-graduate volunteers throughout their service year and maintained partnerships with their service sites. Christina is also proud to have served as a post-graduate volunteer for Covenant House Faith Community in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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Maggie Moore, MA, APCC

Maggie Moore is a bilingual mental health therapist, currently focused on early childhood trauma and its impacts across the lifespan. She has specialized training in Trauma-Informed Care, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocacy, and Violence Intervention and Prevention in LGBTQ communities. Maggie has experience facilitating leadership programming for youth in the wilderness setting, and providing training and supervision to college-age staff in youth programs. Maggie is grateful to have served for one year with Americorps Community Healthcorps, providing patient advocacy at Sixteenth Street Community Health Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Questions?

Questions can be directed to Katie Delaney, Program Manage of VOCARE, at kdelaney@catholicvolunteernetwork.org.

upcoming courses

Stay tuned for an upcoming course on racial justice and diversity.