TWI Offers Workshops to Support Community Resilience

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
— Audre Lorde
Melody Pannell leads workshops that teach resilience skills to the community.

Melody Pannell leads workshops that teach resilience skills to the community.

The pandemic’s toll on our community’s mental health has been enormous. And for those impacted by systemic oppression, the effect has been even greater, as isolation, grief, anxiety and economic insecurity combine with the ongoing impact of racial trauma. To support individual and community resilience in this challenging time, The Women’s Initiative is offering free educational workshops that teach vital self-care and stress management skills, and that connect participants to resources within themselves and their community to support well-being.

The workshops are being led by new staff Resilience Educator and Mental Health Therapist Melody Pannell, MSW, M.Div., MACE, who comes to The Women’s Initiative with vast experience in teaching resilience, healing for communities of color, and “radical self-care.”

“My plan is to help individuals with self-care plans and practices, and also to educate agencies to center self-care in their policies and practices,” Pannell said. “I want people to be aware of how trauma affects the body—to learn about compassion fatigue, trauma stewardship, and recognizing the different types of trauma that happen for black and brown individuals—trauma that has been passed down multigenerationally, and how it needs to be released and discussed.”

These educational workshops can be tailored for the general public or specific community organizations. Furthermore they can be designed for agency leaders looking to build capacity for resiliency or for caregivers who need support in daily programs and services. They can be formatted as a 1-hour presentation, 2-3 hour workshop, or staff retreat. Pannell is also available to share her knowledge of trauma and resilience at community events and panels. Reach out to mpannell@thewomensinitiative.org to learn more.

Pannell’s passion for trauma stewardship, racial healing, inclusion and diversity are rooted in having grown up biracial in Harlem, New York. She has most recently worked in Harrisonburg, Bridgewater and Richmond. In Charlottesville, she is involved in the leadership of the Coming to the Table group, where descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings have worked on racial reconciliation and healing.

“I care deeply about the history, the future and the well-being of Charlottesville as a community,” she said.

August 12 through the Lens of Racial Trauma and Recovery

This week we mark the anniversary of the white supremacist violence of August 11-12, 2017. The horrific events of three years ago are a part of the long and continuing legacy of systemic racism—including the enslavement of Africans in Virginia beginning in 1619; the lynching of John Henry James in Albemarle County in 1898; Black residents of Charlottesville being arrested at far higher rates than people of any other race within the past five years; and, nationally, in 2020, the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

The psychological impacts of these ongoing traumas are clear: The lack of safety for Black Americans leads directly to mental health distress and anguish (a topic Michelle Obama recently spoke about—read her words below). In order to provide safe spaces for support in our community, The Women's Initiative Sister Circle Program is offering a number of virtual programs for Black women this August and September. See below for details. And during the pandemic our "virtual doors" continue to be open to provide culturally responsive support through Call-in Clinics and individual counseling.

(For additional culturally responsive resources, see our post "Racism and Police Brutality Cause Mental Health Trauma.”)

To register or for more information, click here

"Offer a shoulder to lean on, or ask for one yourself."

Michelle Obama recently spoke out about depressive feelings she has been experiencing due to the pandemic and ongoing racist violence. Her courage reminds us of the power of sharing our stories. She wrote these words of advice for anyone struggling in this time:

"I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you’re feeling... I hope you’re also reaching out to all those you’re closest with, not just with a text, but maybe with a call or a videochat. Don’t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on, or to ask for one yourself."

Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram for more self-care and wellness ideas

Racism and Police Brutality Cause Mental Health Trauma

Dear friends,

As a trauma-informed agency, we know that the first step of healing from trauma is creating safety. Black people living in constant fear of their lives and the lives of their loved ones is a mental health emergency. And with each new instance of police violence, we are reminded that the ability to find safety is not equally distributed in our community. The suffering can feel relentless. Grief, anger, hopelessness and exhaustion are normal responses to these horrific events.

The recent acts of police brutality represent only a tiny fraction of the inhumane cruelty that white people in power have perpetrated against the Black community for over 400 years. As Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker wrote recently, “The lynching of George Floyd follows an infinite history of white brutality against Black Lives. From the time that bodies were stolen from the coasts of Africa to present day, white people have failed to see us as human.” As we mourn the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and see the threat to Christian Cooper’s life, we encourage everyone to recognize the horrific impact, both physical and emotional, that racism and systems of oppression have on the Black community. The coronavirus’s disproportionate impact on Black men and women is yet another chapter in this same brutal history. Any possibility of healing these longstanding wounds requires recognition and reckoning with the truth of the trauma.

The mission of The Women’s Initiative is vitally connected to fighting for safety and justice for every member of our community. We stand in solidarity with Black leaders and communities locally and nationally seeking justice and promoting safe spaces for healing. We encourage you to take action for change (see resources below) and to take care of yourself during these difficult days. If needed, please consider our Call-in Clinic, or connecting with our Sister Circle Program or some of the other local and national resources listed below. If you have suggestions for additional ways that our organization can proactively support our community,
please feel free to be in touch directly with me.

Racism is a mental health issue because trauma and the inability to feel safe are mental health issues. Black lives matter; Black safety matters; Black mental health and healing matters.

Much love,

Elizabeth Irvin, LCSW
Executive Director, The Women's Initiative

Culturally responsive mental health & self-care resources

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Resources for learning & taking action

Sister Circle promotes Community Healing Days

“Somebody told a lie one day…They made everything Black, ugly and evil.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Take a day to heal from the lies you’ve been told and the ones you’ve told yourself.”
— Dr. Maya Angelou

The Women’s Initiative Sister Circle Program is promoting the National Community Healing Network’s annual “Community Healing Days” this October as a part of its commitment to fostering healing for Black women and women of color in our community.

The goals of the Community Healing Days include celebrating Black identity and the idea of “flourishing while Black.” These days are also about healing the global Black community from the trauma of anti-Black racism.

Sister Circle Co-Coordinators Alyson Stewart, MFT, and Shelly Wood, MSW, attended the conference of the National Community Healing Network and the Association of Black Psychologists in Richmond in August. They suggest the following activities and conversation starters for Community Healing Days this October 18-20.

TWI counselors Shelly Wood, MSW, left, and Alyson Stewart, MFT, center, with Dr. Cheryl Grills, right, of the Association of Black Psychologists.

TWI counselors Shelly Wood, MSW, left, and Alyson Stewart, MFT, center, with Dr. Cheryl Grills, right, of the Association of Black Psychologists.

  • Take the pledge to “defy the lie of Black inferiority” and “embrace the truth of Black humanity”

  • Wear a sky-blue article of clothing, responding to Dr. Maya Angelou’s call “to show our collective determination to turn the pain of the blues into the sky blue of unlimited possibilities.” Ideas: Tie, lapel pin or brooch, shoes, earrings, nail polish, scarf, carnation. Post pictures on social media with the hashtag #communityhealingdays

  • Take time out with a friend, such as for coffee, lunch, or a walk

  • Gather friends, family or coworkers to…

The Sister Circle Program at The Women’s Initiative provides mental health and wellness programs to reach and serve Black women and women of color.

Bilingual therapists working together

Bienestar Coordinator Ingrid Ramos, LPC, discusses opportunities to learn about trauma-informed care with bilingual therapists at The Women's Initiative.

Bienestar Coordinator Ingrid Ramos, LPC, discusses opportunities to learn about trauma-informed care with bilingual therapists at The Women's Initiative.

As a part of efforts to strengthen our community's diverse workforce, The Women's Initiative hosted a growing network of bilingual (Spanish/English) mental health professionals today at our main office. Ingrid Ramos, LPC, our Bienestar Coordinator, facilitated the meeting of the CJ (Creciendo Juntos) Mental Health Work Group, whose mission is to promote the availability, coordination and quality of mental health services for the Spanish-speaking community in our region.

For a directory of mental health services for the Spanish-speaking community in our area, click here.

If you are a Spanish-speaking therapist who would like to join this group, email Ulises Martinez at umartinez@thewomensinitiative.org

Learn more about The Women's Initiative's Bienestar Program here.