TLU invites the community to join the two-day conversation
(Seguin) – Texas Lutheran University today will launch one of its most important conversations yet. TLU today will shed light on the importance of mental health during its two-day 2022 Krost Symposium titled, “We Need to Talk: Community Conversations About Our Mental Health.”
The two-day community and campus wide event will look to open “an honest dialogue about mental health, suicide prevention, and resources.”
In its promotion of the event, TLU officials say more than half of Americans say COVID has had a negative impact on their mental health. In February 2021, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) found 43.4 percent of adults in Texas reported symptoms of anxiety or depression and 26.4 percent were unable to get needed counseling or therapy.
Dr. Chris Bollinger, Krost Symposium chair and professor of communication studies, says caring for our physical and mental health has always been difficult, but the pandemic has exponentially increased those challenges.
The Krost Symposium is as follows:
Wednesday, Oct. 19
- 10-10:20 a.m. Krost Chapel
- 7-8:30 p.m. Giesber Keynote Speaker Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, “Be a Shining Light of Hope: Everyone Plays a Role in Suicide Prevention” — Jackson Auditorium
Thursday, October 20
- 8:30-9:15 a.m. Corey Jones, “From Tragedy to Triumph: The Power of Resilience” Jackson Auditorium
- 9:30-10:15 a.m. Rebecca Flintoft, “Trauma Informed Practice in Higher Education” Jackson Auditorium
- 10:30-11 a.m. Leslie Flores, “Empathy, Consequential Choices, and Self-Care“ Jackson Auditorium
- 11:15-11:45 a.m. Abigail Muehlbrad, “The Walk with Mental Illness” Jackson Auditorium
- 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, “Healing Session for
- Those who Have Lost Someone” Chapel
TLU officials say this year’s keynote speaker Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas sees issues of suicide prevention and mental health promotion from a host of perspectives: Clinical psychologist. Mental health advocate. Faculty member. Researcher. And suicide loss survivor.
Dr. Spencer-Thomas has earned an international reputation as an entrepreneur and innovator in social change. Along the way, she’s also helped establish many large-scale, gap-filling mental health efforts, including Man Therapy and National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
She has also held leadership roles with the International Association of Suicide Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, United Suicide Survivors International, and the Carson J Spencer Foundation.