Women of THE CENTER, A
SAMARITAN CENTER •
Strength SILENT SAMARITAN
NEWSLETTER
VOLUME
3,
ISSUE
1
A P RI L
2 01 1
Inside the Battle “Soul Surfer” Have you heard of Bethany Hamilton? She’s the surfer girl who was attacked by a 14foot tiger shark at the age of 13. Strong support from her family, a fabulous spirit
and her unwavering faith in God have gotten her through the incident. She still surfs
even without two arms. In fact, she is one of the top 25 professional women surfers
in the world. Can you imagine the bravery it takes to go out in the water again, let
alone to compete against talented women who can paddle out in strong surf with the
benefit of both arms? Bethany says in an article in the May edition of the Ladies
Home Journal, “To me it was like never getting in a car again because you’re afraid
of having another collision. Not surfing just didn’t work for me.”
Did you know Bethany struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Bethany
says she can be out on the water and be filled with anxiety thinking, “Was that a
shark in the distance.” Or she says, “If I’m sleeping and I hear a noise, I’ll wake up
and feel adrenaline running through my body. It’s diminished over the years, but it
still happens.”
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Brunch 1 Inside the 1 Battle Post Stress 3 Spotlight Donor 3 Spotlight Silent Samaritans Silent Samaritan Brunch 2 Traumatic Counselor This amazing young woman uses her story to inspire people. She has also started a
nonprofit foundation called Friends of Bethany that works to help other amputees and
shark attack survivors. To learn more about Bethany, visit her website at
www.soulsurfer.com
4 Thank you! It is what the Silent Samaritan brunches are all about. A simple thanks. No
funds are solicited. No business is conducted. We know you are busy, but The CENTER is
excited about the passion that our Silent Samaritans have for Women in Need and the
experience they have to lead us into the future.
Since the beginning of Silent Samaritans, members have gotten together to hear Executive
Director Bud Salanski talk about The CENTER’s history, Nurse Practitioner Marilyn
Fitzgerald talk about Depression, Clinical Coordinator Dr. Kay Partamian talk about
Chronic Pain and clinical psychologist Charla Markt talked about the benefits counseling
can have for individuals suffering from Dementia.
Our next brunch will be hosted at Carol Meyers’ home at 3303 Westwood Dr on May 14th,
2011 at 10:00am. This brunch is an exclusive opportunity for those who have already
donated their 2011 membership to Silent Samaritans.
PAGE 2
Services at The CENTER Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by Carol Robb, MSW, LCSW We hear a great deal these days about a disorder labeled
“Posttraumatic Distress Disorder “or PTSD. It is
frequently in the news related to military personnel
returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is
not difficult for us to see how they might meet the
criteria for this disorder. However, clinicians have been
increasingly diagnosing this disorder in women and
children in communities like ours.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition, commonly referred to as the
DSM-IV-TR, designates for a diagnosis of Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder to be made the following criteria must be
present:
The person has to have been exposed to a traumatic event in which he or she experienced, witnessed, or was
confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the
physical integrity of self or others and the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. NOTE: In
children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.
Traumatic events that can lead to PTSD include: •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
War
Natural disasters
Car and plane crashes
Terrorist attacks
Sudden death of a loved one
Rape
Kidnapping
Assault
Sexual or physical abuse
Childhood neglect
In the treatment of PTSD and other trauma induced disorders, it is
important to understand that traumatic experiences incapacitate
one’s normal mechanisms for coping and self-protection: therefore,
one often resorts to extraordinary measures in order to survive
physically and psychologically. The human reaction to self
preservation is strong. However when trauma occurs, often sufficient
coping ability as
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and in severe cases can cause adverse affects on the rest of the
body in the attempt to defend and protect. In order to assist
women in their efforts to overcome the effects of the trauma,
their successes in survival must be considered and
acknowledged while assisting them to overcome the symptoms
that are interfering with their desire to live fully.
WOMEN
OF
STRENGTH
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1
PAGE 3
Silent Samaritan Spotlight Carol Robb, MSW, LCSW Carol is a native of St. Joseph, MO. She has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of
Missouri– Columbia. She has been in Social Services/Mental Health field for nearly 38 years being
a licensed therapist for the past 20 years. Carol says, “Being of service to others was a value I
learned from my family and I felt this more keenly when my father died suddenly while I was in
high school and I experienced how such a loss can impact a family. I chose to become a Social
Worker when all the "Great Society" changes were coming to fruition during the late 1960's early
1970's. I have always felt called to work with individuals and families in some form. This has
allowed me the privilege to serve people in many settings.”
Carol is now “retired” but still works many hours at the Social Welfare Board in Saint Joseph
providing quality mental health treatment. She is a former board president of The CENTER and
a charter member of Silent Samaritans. Carol says, “Strong women have been an inspiration to
me all of my life; in my family, those I have been blessed to have as mentors and equally by
women I have met in my career who overcame adversity despite tremendous obstacles.
There is no more rewarding work than to assist in some way to their success in this overcoming.
I have a belief that strong women are a core ingredient to strong families, and strong
societies.”
On behalf of all the Women in Need who have been helped by the Silent Samaritan program at
The CENTER, thank you Carol!
THE CENTER,
A SAMARITAN
CENTER •
SILENT
SAMARITAN
NEWSLETTER
Ways to Volunteer at The CENTER The Silent Samaritans are a strong group of women. The
concept behind this group is one of Silent Strength. There
are no obligations to membership. Still, many of you have
asked how else you can help serve people in need through
The CENTER.
Reception for front desk on evenings and weekends
Make confirmation calls one hour each day
File charts
Help with mailings two to three times per year
Community liaisons for special events
Monitor links to website once per quarter
Fundraising
Marketing and Business tactics
Computer and network maintenance
Brochure Development
Graphic design
Radio service announcements
Coordination of staff activities
Client education
Counselor Spotlight Jean West, LCSW A full-time counselor
with the Saint
Joseph School
District, Jean West
started working parttime at The CENTER
in 2009. Jean sees
children, adolescents
and adults with
anxiety and
adjustment
disorders. She specializes in emotional
trauma, provides family counseling and
enjoys working with teenagers. Jean is
available for evening and Saturday
appointments.