Mental health professionals know that education goes hand in hand with care and treatment. That’s exactly why on Wednesday, July 12, Porter-Starke Services held its annual Living Health Balance Hope Symposium. 150 clinicians and members of the community gathered in Valparaiso University’s Harre Union to learn more about resilience and optimism--the tools we need to grow in the face of adversity as well as prevent and overcome many mental health challenges.
The Living Health Balance Hope Symposium, sponsored by the Porter-Starke Foundation, was created so that Porter-Starke Services could improve people’s mental well-being through education as well as its many treatment services.
“Our mission is to enhance the quality of life in our community in four ways: through treatment, prevention, education, and research. This event really hits on the education portion of our mission. We want to educate clinicians and people in our community about mental health and the positive ways to approach it so they don’t just come to see us when something is wrong. We want them to come to see us so they can learn how to prevent mental health struggles,” said Vice President of Clinical Services Sandy Carlson.
Every year the symposium sheds light on a different relevant mental health topic. Professionals from all over the United States are then invited to speak on that topic and share a plethora of invaluable information.
“This is one of my favorite events that we do every year. It’s really great to see so many people come together and learn from each other and learn from experts in the field. The speakers we have here today are from the University of Pennsylvania and they are both experts in the field of positive psychology, optimism, and resilience. It’s really great to bring that caliber of excellence here to Valparaiso,” said Carlson.
This year’s event kicked off the same way all excellent symposiums do--with brunch and meaningful conversation. As people munched on delicious breakfast foods, Dr. Karen Reivich and Dr. Judy Saltzberg came forward to dive a little deeper into some of the science behind resilience and optimism, what they actually are and aren’t, and the impact they can have on a person’s mental health.
“Optimism allows you to move towards, not away from, challenges. If we move toward our challenges, we demonstrate to ourselves that we’re not helpless, we can use resources, and that we can navigate problems and emerge on the other side,” said Reivich.
Revich explained that children are astonishingly 50% less likely to develop depression and anxiety if they have the proper tools to practice optimism and resilience. She then shared six different strategies to develop a more optimistic mindset and went into great detail about how to use each one.
After brunch, the day was then broken up into three different workshops that dived even further into various things that can undercut, develop, and spread resilience and optimism. Everyone was incredibly invested in the conversation.
“We have spent a lot of time researching relevant mental health topics, and we thought the topic of developing optimism and resilience was an important one, especially since we have been so divided as a culture since the pandemic and the struggles that it brought. I think this is a very timely topic to have here today,” said Carlson.
This year’s Living Health Balance Hope Symposium was ultimately the perfect opportunity for people to develop both personally and professionally. As people threw their hands into the air, eager to share their experiences, and hastily took notes for later reference, it became clear that the day undoubtedly helped Porter-Starke Services continue to thrive in its mission to educate the community.
“I hope everyone walks away with the capacity and ability to develop more hope, optimism, and resilience in themselves as well as the people they work with,” said Carlson.
To learn more about Porter-Starke Services and its mission to spread mental health awareness and care in the community, visit porterstarke.org.
