Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council

Health care can be a difficult puzzle. We work as one to put the pieces
together for Chatham County and for you.

Search Results for: mindful self-compassion

MSC in the Media

A minute of mindful self-compassion: Vira Salzburn walks us through the act of showing up for yourself, Connect Savannah, March 24, 2020

Mindful self-compassion could help ease coronavirus anxieties, Savannah Morning News, Mar 21, 2020

Mental health experts share how to reduce stress and anxiety, WSAV, March 19, 2020

HART TO HEART: Find mindful self-compassion for your self, Savannah Morning News, Feb 7, 2020

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“When you reach out to those in need,
do not be surprised if the essential meaning of something occurs.”
― Stephen Richards

MSC on the Radio

 

Prevent Suicide Today is partnering with Savannah State University to bring MSC training to our community on the radio! Join us for a 12-month long Mindful Self-Compassion radio journey on WHCJ (90.3 FM), the radio station of Savannah State University, to learn how to bring loving awareness to ourselves and our experiences, and develop a warm, connected presence during difficult moments in our lives.

WHEN: Every 2nd Friday of the month at noon, starting September 13th, 2019
WHERE: WHCJ (90.3 FM), Stir It Up Radio Show
DETAILS: MSC on Stir it Up – flyer

Listen on demand:

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“We who have means and a voice must use them to help those who have neither.”
– Jennifer Donnelly

MSC Resources

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for FREE self-compassion, meditation, yoga and mindfulness practices!

MSC PROVIDERS

BOOKS

VIDEOS / LECTURES

ARTICLES

POETRY

KIDS

TOOLS

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Resources for Emotional Wellbeing during COVID-19

Be Well!

Meet Our MSC Teachers

Vira Salzburn, virasalzburn@chlink.org

Vira Salzburn is a Ukrainian-American living in Savannah, Georgia. She is a Program Director for Safety and Resilience programs at Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council. She earned a Master of Science degree in Management, Organizational Behavior & Leadership from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Humanities from Auburn University at Montgomery. Vira also holds a graduate certificate in Topics in Human Behavior from Harvard University.

She is a Mindful Self-Compassion Trained Teacher, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Master Trainer, Certified Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator, and Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® Instructor.

Vira is the developer of the community-based upstream suicide prevention approach that uses evidence-based Mindful-Self Compassion programming. She is a community educator and public speaker on suicide prevention, trauma-informed practices, self-compassion, and resilience and is the 2022 TEDx Savannah presenter.

Since moving to the U.S. in 2007, Vira had the honor of volunteering as an interpreter and a liaison between Ukrainian orphaned children and American adoptive families, which has greatly impacted her perception of compassion and servanthood and helped her better understand the true meaning behind the idea of “changing the world one life at a time”.

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Jess Matthewson, Jessica.Matthewson@GatewayBHS.org

Jess Matthewson is the Youth to Adult Program Manager for Gateway Community Service Board and represents Gateway as a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Trained Teacher.  Jess holds a Masters in Criminal Justice from Boston University, is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Professional, and received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Daniel Webster College.  As the Youth to Adult Program Manager, Jess is able to work with youth and families throughout Chatham and Effingham Counties to assist in accessing mental health resources and supports as well as creating and implementing programming to address gaps and barriers for these individuals.

Jess is passionate about addressing the needs of our community by addressing and preventing trauma for its most vulnerable population, our youth.  Through MSC, Jess is able to introduce techniques and tools for youth and youth serving adults that are trauma responsive and healing in a manner many have not been able to try before.  It is her hope that through this work we may heal the children we serve, heal the child within us all, and prevent future traumas for generations of children to come.

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Fausta Luchini, fausta@faustasplacetoponder.com

Fausta Luchini became a Whole Person Certified Coach in December, 2018, bringing over 20 years experience as a therapist to this new adventure.  As a therapist, she worked primarily with people who experienced lots of trauma in childhood, or ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experiences. She learned ways to help her clients work through the lingering impact of trauma on their lives and her clients helped her understand their pathways to healing. She is deeply grateful for the people who shared their experiences with her, and awed at the strength and resilience of her clients.  She brings a trauma sensitive lens to her work as a consultant and coach. You may learn more about Fausta’s private practice at faustasplacetoponder.com.

She began practicing mindfulness and teaching the practice to her clients in 2007, but really fell in love with Mindful Self-Compassion taking a class with Vira Salzburn in 2019.  She continues to use this practice with her coaching clients, and is in the last stage of becoming a trained teacher.

Fausta moved to Savannah, Georgia in 2017, following her dream to live near the ocean.  She lives in a multi-generational home with her life partner, Dennis, her daughter, two grandchildren, and a cat.

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“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day.
A string of such moments can change the course of your life.”
― Christopher K. Germer

 

Our Impact

Empowering Our Community

From 2012-2019, over 300 individuals in Chatham County lost their life to suicide.

However, suicide is preventable. To equip our community with the skills to intervene when someone is having thoughts of suicide, the Chatham County Commission in conjunction with the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council and Gateway Community Service Board are working to prevent suicide today.

Prevent Suicide Today is a community-based program working to prevent suicide by raising awareness about suicide and providing evidence-based suicide prevention and resiliency-building training. Through SuicideTALK, SafeTALK, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshops, we equip our community with the skills for suicide prevention and intervention. With the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training programs, we use upstream prevention to empower our community with the tools for emotional resilience and wellbeing.

Our efforts are directed toward building community capacity for suicide prevention and creating multiple layers of accessible and affordable resources for a suicide-safer compassion-focused Chatham County.

Download and share our September 2021 PDF Infographic in English and Spanish:

From September 2017 to September 2020 we:

  • Trained 13,000+ people in suicide prevention
  • Trained 800+ people in suicide intervention
  • Trained 2,000+ people in mindfulness & self-compassion
  • Collaborated with over 30 organizations
  • Supported over 25 individuals to become trainers

Raising Awareness

  • The Steel City Gospel Radio, “Self-Discovery with Venessa Show”. Listen to the September 2021 interview with Vira Salzburn here.

Teaching the Skills

Suicide prevention is everyone’s business. We work to empower community members with the confidence to speak openly about suicide in order to create awareness that suicide is preventable and to promote overall mental health and well-being. Coupled with awareness, we teach community members the practical skills to intervene when someone is at risk.

84%

of participants increase their confidence to help a person at risk of suicide after an ASIST workshop

95%

of participants reported that the workshop has a practical use in their everyday life

Saving Lives

We help teach the skills, but it’s community members from all walks of life that use them to save lives. Thank you for making Chatham County a suicide safer community.

Working Together

Our wonderful community partners work together to Prevent Suicide Today in Chatham County:

  • Chatham County Commission
  • Chatham County Health Department
  • Chatham County Juvenile Court
  • Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council
  • Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
  • Chatham County Police Department
  • First Baptist Church of the Islands
  • Forever4Change Inc.
  • Gateway Community Service Board
  • Georgia Regional Hospital of Savannah
  • Georgia Southern University
  • Hospice Savannah-Demere Center for Living
  • MedBank Foundation, Inc.
  • Memorial Health University Medical Center
  • Savannah Fire & Emergency Services
  • Savannah Police Department
  • Savannah State University
  • Savannah-Chatham Public School System
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System
  • St. Mary’s Community Center
  • The Front Porch
  • Union Mission

If you are having thoughts of suicide or need immediate assistance, please call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225
.

Resources

Chatham County Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services Directory (Ages 0-17)

Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council Resource Brochure 2019-2020 (Printable PDF)

Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless Resource Guide

Dental Lifeline Network: Access to affordable dental care and education

Health Effective Resource Organizations (HERO), St.Joseph’s/Candler African-American Health Information & Resource Center

Edel Caregiver Institute (Hospice Savannah Caregiver Support)

Information and Guidelines

Financial Assistance

National Mental Health Resources

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Resources for Emotional Wellbeing 

MSC Savannah-Chatham Coalition

Mindful-Self Compassion (MSC) is an evidence-based program focused on building resilience and enhancing emotional wellbeing.

Our Savannah-Chatham MSC Coalition includes mindfulness and self-compassion teachers and practitioners working together to build a resilient and more compassionate community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to alleviate human suffering and improve the collective well-being of our community through the practice of self-compassion.

Our Vision

We aim to be the leaders in self-compassion training in Coastal Georgia, offering the highest quality accessible trauma-informed programming to diverse populations.

Our Practice

We use and practice evidence-based tools and techniques that support each individual’s sense of agency and provide opportunities for growth and self-kindness.

 

Trauma Sensitive Yoga Resources

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for FREE self-compassion, meditation, yoga and mindfulness practices!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING:

BOOKS:

TOOLS:

RESEARCH ARTICLES:

OTHER RESOURCES:

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“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.” 

― B.K.S Iyengar

Trauma Sensitive Yoga

It is no secret that yoga does wonders for the body and can calm the mind. There is growing evidence that modified yoga, when taught by specially trained individuals and employed in a therapeutic context, can be a tool of healing and empowerment for people who have experienced trauma.

The term “trauma sensitive yoga” was coined by David Emerson, E-RYT, founder and director of yoga services at the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, MA, to describe the use of yoga as an adjunctive treatment within a clinical context. The practice aims to help people regain comfort in their bodies, counteract rumination, and improve self-regulation while enjoying the physical benefits of yoga exercise.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) program uses the evidence-based clinical adaptation of a yoga practice designed as a therapeutic intervention for individuals impacted by trauma, including complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

TSY classes build awareness of the breath and physical sensations by softening the edges of rules and expectations participants may have for themselves while practicing the connection between their body and mind.

In TSY class you’ll learn to:

  • Connect to the choice of a form or practice at your comfort level
  • Raise your body awareness by paying attention to your bodily sensations experienced through breath and movement
  • Relate to your body with kindness rather than self-criticism
  • Safely practice mindfulness and attention regulation
  • Use self-compassion to motivate yourself during practice

TSY is a way for us to safely experiment with having a body. Through yoga we can experiment with:

  • Breathing
  • Moving
  • Strengthening
  • Stretching
  • Resting

TSY classes include but not limited to:

  • TSY for Children & Youth uses mindful movement and activities to help children build the skills of self-awareness and emotional regulation.
  • TSY for Stress Management and Burnout is designed to help participants reduce stress and elicit the relaxation response physically, emotionally, and mentally through gentle movement, focused attention, and breath work.
  • Chair TSY uses modified yoga poses so they can be done while seated in a chair to make practices accessible to people who cannot stand, lack the mobility to move easily from standing to seated to supine positions, or do not have a yoga mat.

Our classes are set up so that participants are in control over what they are doing with their body at all times and the facilitator is there to provide safe, professional guidance.

No experience or equipment necessary.  All are welcome.

To request a TSY programming for your organization, please complete THIS FORM.

Get to know our TSY teachers here.

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“Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are”

― Jason Crandell

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