Photos by Kara Crump, Independent
Chester County UT Extension hosted a Wellness Forum May 22, for Mental Health Month. The event featured various members of the community as an eight-member panel, including, pictured above left, from left, Melina Rose (LCSW & Founder of Rose Counseling), Amy Bechtol (West TN Faith-Based Community Coordinator), Veto Swain (Fitness Specialist), Lauren Balius (RN, BSN), Eryn Whalen (Homesteader and Co-Owner of Whalen Farms), Stacy Smith (Director for Lions Club), Chrystal Richerson (Director of Library) and Ashley Barnes (First Bank Vice President). Pictued above, attendees visit with mental health representatives from local and neighboring communities.
Wednesday May 22, a community forum centered on wellness was held in honor of Mental Health Month. The event was hosted by University of Tennessee Extension – Chester County, in partnership with TMHSAS (The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services) and sponsored by Lakeside Behavioral Health, who provided the food. The topic of discussion included the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, occupational and social. The community forum provided the opportunity to learn from a panel of community members on different facets of wellness, network and how to get connected with resources.
The biggest topic of discussion was ways wellness could be encouraged in the community. Community service, getting involved in the community and using resources in the community were also discussed in referring to improving one’s mental health. There was also discussion about normalizing that people have emotions, normalizing conversations about each person’s own emotions, not comparisons to one another and remembering everyone experiences emotions differently. In the ending segment, the panel answered questions from the audience.
