Resources for election stress

shutterstock_1561096562_purchased.jpg

Dear friends,

This year has been a time of ongoing uncertainty and, for many of us, challenges coming from multiple directions. The pandemic has threatened our sense of connectedness and our health. Racist violence continues to threaten the physical and emotional safety of the Black community. As Election Day approaches, questions about the future leave many people feeling additional stress and anxiety.

Even in these difficult circumstances, we believe that individuals and communities have the capacity for healing. Our goal is to ensure that opportunities to get support, connect with peers, and release stress are available to our whole community. Take a look at the free, virtual offerings available in the coming days, below.

Note: Our Call-in Clinic will be closed on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, to ensure our staff can cast their ballots.

Wednesday, November 4

Thursday, November 5

  • Navigating Motherhood in a Pandemic, 10-11:30am. To register: (434) 872-0047 or email info@thewomensinitiative.org.

  • Art for Relaxation, 2:15–3pm. Click here to register.

  • Bienestar Support Group, 5-6pm. (Conducted in Spanish). To register, contact Varinia Anderson at vanderson@thewomensinitiative.org or (434) 872-0047 ext. 123. Información en español.

  • Call-in Clinic (English), 5-7pm.

​Monday, November 9

  • Call-in Clinic (English), 10am-12pm.

  • Emotional Empowerment Workshop, 11am-12:45pm. The week's theme is "Post-Election Coping & Self-Care". Call (434) 872-0047 or email info@thewomensinitiative.org by Tuesday, November 3 to schedule a conversation with the facilitator to ensure these workshops are a fit for you.

Call-in Clinics and other healing programs are available every week at The Women's Initiative. Be sure to check our Groups Page for the latest offerings.

There are also steps we can each take in our day-to-day activities that support mental health. One of the most important for a week like this one is: Take breaks from the news. For more ideas, see our Resilience Reminders in English and Spanish, and Sister Circle's 10 Self-Care Tips for Black Women.

As we plan for the future, The Women's Initiative wants to hear from you. If you haven't already, please take five minutes to fill out our Community Survey about our services during the pandemic.

Much love,

Elizabeth Irvin, LCSW, Executive Director

More resources to address election stress

Want to receive occasional updates and news like this from us? Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

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

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.

Grant supports healing for crime victims

The VOCA grant enables us to continue providing free, life-saving counseling and support groups to women who have experienced trauma, violence and abuse.

The VOCA grant enables us to continue providing free, life-saving counseling and support groups to women who have experienced trauma, violence and abuse.

The Women’s Initiative has received a two-year grant for $367,436 annually to support our efforts to provide transformative mental health services for women who have experienced trauma, violence and abuse.

These federal funds, allocated to the state of Virginia through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Services Grant Program, will help local women gain freedom from debilitating mental health symptoms related to PTSD, depression and panic disorders.

Through one-on-one work with our therapists, women learn to reconnect with their deepest selves.
— Kerry Day, Director of Philanthropy

“The potential long-term effects of trauma on an individual’s physical and emotional health are well documented. That said, healing can and does happen. Through one-on-one work with our therapists, women learn to reconnect with their deepest selves, honor their resilience, foster essential social supports and develop appropriate coping skills,” said Kerry Day, Director of Philanthropy. “This VOCA grant serves as an important part of this transformation by enabling us to provide free, life-saving individual counseling and support group services to victims of crime.”

This generous grant is for the fiscal years of 2020 and 2021. The Women’s Initiative must secure a mandatory local match of $91,859.

TWI was first awarded a VOCA grant in late 2017 for an annual amount of approximately $100,000.

In announcing these new VOCA grants, Governor Ralph Northam named critical mental health treatment as one of the essential services for victims of crime. The Women’s Initiative’s mental health services regardless of ability to pay reach more than 4,000 women annually.

Over 90 percent of TWI clients are victims of crime, most commonly sexual assault and domestic violence. The prevalence of violence and abuse in women’s lives translates to greater mental health need: for example, women are twice as likely to develop an anxiety disorder compared to men. They also attempt suicide approximately twice as often.

It is The Women’s Initiative’s belief that women can recover and heal from traumatic experiences in their lives. We invite contributions from the community to help us reach our mandatory match to continue this important work. Donate today.

Watch a CBS19 News feature about how the VOCA grant will support the work of The Women’s Initiative here.

Supporting Women to Share Their Stories of Struggle

Tonia Alexander

Tonia Alexander

Volunteer Spotlight: Tonia Alexander

Since 2008 Tonia Alexander has been a volunteer for The Women’s Initiative’s Challenge into Change Writing Contest, an annual celebration of women’s stories of hope and healing. As a member of the Challenge into Change Committee, she helps guide the vision for the program and the culminating event at the Virginia Festival of the Book, our largest outreach event of the year. A Senior Self-Sufficiency Specialist at the Department of Social Services, Tonia also continues to inspire her clients to share their stories in each year’s contest.

Tell us about how you got involved with The Women’s Initiative originally.

I have shared each year’s book with so many women who may have been facing some type of struggle. I wanted to show them they aren’t alone. I think it can be empowering to know that, ‘Hey, my sister, my friend has overcome these things, and if they can, so can I!’
This year’s Challenge into Change book debuts at the Virginia Festival of the Book.

This year’s Challenge into Change book debuts at the Virginia Festival of the Book.

I have always found myself looking for resources that would serve my clients—something sustainable in the community that they would be able to access long after their time with me. I first found out about The Women’s Initiative when I was looking for a resource for a client who was dealing with major depression and I was trying to find a place that was very welcoming to her. The Women’s Initiative was nearby, so we were able to walk over and inquire about the services that were available. Charlottesville has a lot of resources, but it was great to have a resource directed towards serving women. We were able to make use of several opportunities available right from the beginning.

What inspires you to volunteer for Challenge into Change?

Over the years I have found that sometimes people will not be successful as they move towards self-sufficiency because of the additional stressors they’re dealing with. It has felt great to be there for these women—not only are they able share their stories in writing but their voices can be heard.

I have shared each year’s book with so many women who may have been facing some type of struggle. I wanted to show them they aren’t alone. I think it can be empowering to know that, ‘Hey, my sister, my friend has overcome these things, and if they can, so can I!’

How would you describe the impact of the Challenge into Change program on the authors who participate?

Every woman’s story is different, and it has made each book different over the years. Whether you’re sharing the first book or the most recent, there is always a woman that the book is able to speak to. Challenge into Change creates a connection between the authors and the readers that you can’t find in other books and I think that’s powerful. To be able to read the words of women from our own community, our own neighbors, to have an opportunity to share an encouraging word with a neighbor or a sister in a town that continues to heal, that is impact in itself.

All are welcome at this year’s Challenge into Change Celebration on Wednesday, March 20 at Carver Recreation Center.

This article is adapted from our 2019 Winter/Spring Newsletter.

Nature connection helps clients on path to healing

Carolyn Schuyler, LCSW, was the first program director of The Women’s Initiative and continues to be a board member today. In 2017, Schuyler founded Wildrock, a nonprofit that provides educational, recreational, and therapeutic programs in nature. Partnering with The Women’s Initiative, Wildrock has connected our clients with chances to explore ecotherapy. As one client shared about a half-day retreat at Wildrock’s nature center: “I had an amazing day of calm and connection with nature and new friends. It was a day of healing.”

What is ecotherapy? Who can benefit from it?

HEALING OUTDOORS. Carolyn Schuyler, LCSW, helps connect TWI clients to opportunities for self-care and stress reduction in nature at Wildrock.

HEALING OUTDOORS. Carolyn Schuyler, LCSW, helps connect TWI clients to opportunities for self-care and stress reduction in nature at Wildrock.

Carolyn Schuyler: Ecotherapy supports people in developing a reciprocal, healing relationship with the natural world. The work can take many forms—equine therapy, horticulture therapy, expressive art in nature, the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku [“forest bathing”], stewardship practices, deep appreciation and observational practices, and scientific inquiry. I believe ecotherapy is at its best when people are not only receiving the broad range of social, emotional, cognitive and physical benefits of spending time in nature but also giving back to nature. Ecotherapy practices can help people develop an embodied understanding that their own well-being is inextricably tied to the well-being of nature. There is now a robust body of research revealing that a connection to nature is an important predictor of subjective well-being and ecological behavior.

How did your interest in ecotherapy develop?

I grew up with the freedom to play with my sister in a fossil-rich creek and forest area by my house. I believe my own adult happiness is fed by the reservoir of positive experience I had spending long, relaxed periods outdoors early in life. I have noticed in my years of being a therapist that this was true for many of my clients, too. Time and time again, I heard people telling me that their most hopeful, empowering experiences were times when they were immersed in nature.

How does ecotherapy fit into the overall mission of The Women’s Initiative?

The Women’s Initiative provides many avenues to support the resilience of women. Given the strong research supporting nature connection as a means for reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma, it makes perfect sense that TWI would support women in exploring nature connection as a form of self-care. When I opened Wildrock, I came to TWI and offered to run Nature Nurture retreats. This started a wonderful collaboration that has now expanded to TWI offering walking groups in town and workshops at the office to support people in strengthening a healing relationship with nature. Having helped found TWI when I first moved to Charlottesville 11 years ago, it felt fitting to start ecotherapy work with TWI in this new chapter of my career.

How can clients incorporate ecotherapy practices into their healing process?

It can be as simple as women putting pictures of nature up around their desk at work (even looking at pictures of nature has been found to improve productivity and reduce stress). It may mean that women take regular mindful walks, find a special location in nature to visit repeatedly, or help with local stewardship initiatives, such as planting pollinator gardens. On our retreats, we provide women with a list of experiences that are evidence-based approaches to ecotherapy.

Tell us about your vision for the partnership between TWI and Wildrock.

I hope that we will continue to offer Wildrock retreats in the fall and spring, workshops on how to incorporate nature connection into a treatment plan, and regular in-town meet-ups to support ecotherapy practices. I would love to do a research study to explore how practices specifically impact anxiety.

This article is adapted from our Winter/Spring 2019 Newsletter.

IMG_20171118_153543.jpg

Upcoming Ecotherapy Offerings

Connecting with Nature and Ourselves in Winter

Monday, March 11, 5:30-7 pm

Join with other women to use the wintertime quiet to cultivate restoration, creativity and connection. We will use collage, mindfulness, writing, movement and nature elements to cultivate gratitude and self-love and set positive intentions. Facilitated by Shell Stern, MSW.

Registration optional: (434) 872-0047 or info@thewomensinitiative.org.

Nature Nurture Retreat
at Wildrock

Saturday, April 13, 9:45 am-4 pm

A day outside to learn how to use nature to deepen your self-care and reduce stress.

Wildrock is a nature park and barn center tucked away in the Blue Ridge foothills 40 minutes from Charlottesville. Transportation to Wildrock will be provided from TWI Main Office, 1101 East High St.

Facilitated by Carolyn Schuyler, LCSW, Shell Stern, MSW, and Hannah Trible

To register: sstern@thewomensinitiative.org or (434) 872-0047 x114

wildrock.png

Yoga offerings help women heal

YOGA-lotus-shutterstock_1227113218-purchased.jpg

Yoga at The Women’s Initiative helps women restore a feeling of safety in their bodies.

Increasing research testifies to the healing power of yoga and other mindfulness practices. Bessel Van Der Kolk, a professor of psychiatry at Boston University Medical School and a leading researcher in traumatic stress, has found that frequent yoga practice over extended periods of time helps decrease symptoms of PTSD and depression in women.

The Women’s Initiative offers new yoga classes each season. Examples include Chair Yoga; Gentle Yoga for Mindfulness; and Yoga for Women of Color in partnership with Common Ground Healing Arts. Click here to see our current yoga and other mind-body offerings.

Yoga and mindfulness practices can help us befriend our bodies and their sensations, release muscular tension instilled not just by everyday stress but by traumatic histories, and use our breath to regulate our nervous systems—all processes that trauma is apt to disrupt.

Mind-body programming at TWI is free and open to all women and all bodies.Though any community yoga or mindfulness class can help one to heal, our trauma-sensitive program is unique in that it puts particular emphasis on cultivating physical and emotional safety. In TWI mind-body classes, all "instructions" are really invitations: a participant is as free to exit a pose or a movement or the room as she is to enter it. And this invitation is itself part of the healing, enabling a sense of physical and emotional agency that the traumatized body may have forgotten.

This article is adapted from our Winter 2018 Newsletter.

New healing offerings start this fall

Fall trees.png

Find your path to healing this fall through one of our many new and ongoing groups and offerings.

We are pleased to offer a host of free groups including …

Call (434) 872-0047 or email info@thewomensinitiative.org for more information and to register.

July is Minority Mental Health Month

2018-07 MJH_StressReduction.jpg

In honor of Minority Mental Health Month, join our Sister Circle Program for special healing and self-care offerings for women of color. Registration is required (except where noted). To register, call (434) 872-0047 x105 or email swood@thewomensinitiative.org.

  • Stress Reduction Lunch Hours, Friday, July 13 and Friday, July 27, 12-1 p.m., Sentara Starr Hill Health Center at the Jefferson School. Free.
  • Yoga for Women of Color, Sunday, July 15, 2-3:15 pm. Gather and practice yoga in a safe and nurturing setting. Class includes postures accessible to all levels as well as time for exploring ways to use breath and meditation for wellbeing. Women are invited to stay after class to connect with other participants, share yoga resources and build community. Each class is offered on a donation basis; no one will be turned away for inability to pay. No pre-registration is necessary.
  • Spa Retreat, Saturday, July 21, 2-3:30 pm, The Women's Initiative Main Office. Facials and/or pedicures from a Mary Kay consultant. Massages by Common Ground Healing Arts. Free.
  • Sound Bath with Shawna Bass, Monday, July 23, 12:30-2 pm., The Women's Initiative Main Office. Come be bathed in healing sound waves that will help to bring you to a deep meditative state. Sound baths can be one of the most deeply healing and restorative ways to attain a deep state of relaxation. Our body and minds respond positively to the sound vibrations and resonance allowing us to release of stress, healthily lower blood pressure as well as heal at a deep molecular and emotional level. Pay what you can; no one will be turned away for inability to pay. 

Visit our Sister Circle page to learn more.

Lead story: Women's resilience

Women's resilience was the lead story on NBC29's 11 o'clock news this Wednesday night, as reporter Victoria Wresilo featured the Challenge into Change program and the inspiring personal stories of hope and healing women shared.

About 150 people came out to Carver Recreation Center on Wednesday, April 18 to witness contest participants share their stories of transforming life challenges into opportunities for growth and renewal.

Congratulations to this year's contest winners:

First Place, Dr. Allison Kretlow, for her poem, “Four Year Old Faith”
Second Place, Bellamy Shoffner, for her essay, “Against Adversity, We Can Win”
Third Place (tie), Christa, for her essay, “Giving Birth”
Third Place (tie), Linda Martinussen, for her essay, “Ode to Elsa”

Purchase your copy of this year's Challenge into Change book, which includes stories and poems from our 81 participants, at New Dominion Bookshop on the Downtown Mall, 404 East Main Street, Charlottesville.

Read more about Challenge into Change.

Poems in times of challenge and change

2018-npm_poster.jpg

For National Poetry Month in April, we're celebrating poems that inspire us and speak to the work of our agency: empowering women in times of challenge and change. 

To begin, we are featuring "Where I'm From" by Rebecca Ballard, below, a poem included in the 2016 Challenge into Change Writing Contest, an annual program that encourages women to write and share their stories of transforming challenges into opportunities for change and growth. 

Stay tuned for more as we are getting ready to unveil this year's Challenge into Change book at our Challenge into Change celebration on April 18. We invite you to this special evening to celebrate the process of storytelling as healing.

Follow The Women's Initiative on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest.

Rebecca Ballard_Where I'm From_2016 CIC.jpg

Hear Together: The Women's Initiative

Have you heard? The Women's Initiative is featured on WNRN's "Hear Together."

Executive Director Elizabeth Irvin, LCSW, spoke with WNRN about our affordable, accessible, effective mental health counseling services for women in our region.

"Wanting to reduce as many barriers as possible, we created walk-in clinics as a chance for any woman to come in and be seen same-day, confidentially, with a therapist, and begin the journey of healing," Irvin says.

Click here to listen to the full segment.

CranioSacral Therapy at Walk-in Clinic

_IGP0897-14rr.jpg
_IGP0891-12rr.jpg

CranioSacral Therapy with Amina Elizabeth Stevens is offered free during our Wednesday Walk-in Clinics at our main office.

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle form of bodywork that can help relieve pain and stress. The practitioner uses light touch on the head, along the spine, and on the sacrum to release compression. Many people experience deep relaxation and increased physical ease during and after a CranioSacral Therapy session. At The Women’s Initiative sessions are done laying down on a massage table while fully clothed.

Sessions take place in our downstairs studio, 2-5 pm, Wednesdays.

See the flyer for this free offering.

Learn more about all our free walk-in clinics.

Free CranioSacral Therapy is a partnership between The Women's Initiative and Common Ground Healing Arts.

Growing our Mind-Body Program to heal trauma

We're growing our Mind-Body Program to help heal trauma through movement.

Trauma-informed yoga, dance and other movement styles help release muscular tension stored in our bodies because of both everyday stress and histories of trauma. These practices also enable us to use breath to regulate our nervous system, a process which trauma often disrupts. 

All of these offerings are free and open to all women and all bodies, and no experience is required.

Check out our latest mind-body offerings...

Additionally, The Women's Initiative will be hosting a special Holiday Breathe & Move event, with yoga as well as origami paper-crane-making.

Call (434) 872-0047 to reserve your spot, and check out the Facebook event!