COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Department of Public Safety is hosting a conference to help central Ohioans who may be experiencing some sort of trauma.
The conference, dubbed “Healing Columbus: Awareness, Education & Direction,” will feature experts from several organizations, including The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s STAR program, Big Lots Behavioral Health Services and The Center for Safety and Healing at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus Public Health’s CARE Coalition.
Trauma is defined as events or circumstances experienced by a person as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and had lasting adverse effects on the person’s mental, physical, social, emotional and spiritual health.
Whether it be the sudden change the COVID-19 pandemic brought upon central Ohioans, violence in the city of Columbus or personal experiences like abuse and grief, many are walking through life in some level of shock.
“I believe there is a direct connection between being a trauma-informed community and reducing violence,” Public Safety Director Robert Clark said. “Understanding trauma is a form of de-escalation. And that’s something our community needs desperately right now.”
The experts at the event will provide guidance and help with childhood, adult and community-based trauma. City officials describe the event to be a first of its kind.
“We believe that the better individuals understand trauma and its impact on our communities, the more resilient and supportive we can be towards each other,” said Susan Coffey of the Columbus CARE Coalition. “We can shift the conversation from ‘What is wrong with that person?’ to ‘What happened to them, and what have they done to survive?’”
The conference will take on May 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith on 1200 Brentnell Avenue. Residents can register for the event here.
