Resource Articles

The destruction of the December storms and tornados is heartbreaking. There is a feeling of being totally overwhelmed, hopelessness and helplessness. Jim Kendall, LCSW, of Vanderbilt Work/Life Connections-EAP gives an assessment of how to recognize symptoms of extreme stress, and how to help those affected by the recent tornadoes.


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Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Sarah Jordan Welch, Prevention Educator and Victim Resource Specialist at Project Safe, speaks about the prevalence of sexual assault, what we can do to prevent sexual violence, and resources, programs, and events available to support the Vanderbilt community.

When a person experiences, witnesses, or is confronted with an event or situation that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others, he or she can experience fear, helplessness, and horror.  PTSD results when effects of exposure to a traumatic event persist beyond one month following the event. Please answer "Yes" or "No" if you have been exposed to or witnessed a traumatic event and have engaged in or experienced any of the following over the past month on a fairly consistent basis.

From time to time at Vanderbilt, one of the members of our faculty or staff dies or is seriously injured. The loss leaves co-workers or a group of colleagues to deal with their own personal grief. Work/Life Connections-EAP counselors can assist management by meeting with individuals and/or groups to provide support for the managers, faculty, and staff who are dealing with the impact of loss.
 
 Call Work/Life Connections-EAP at 615-936-1327 for support and psychological first aid assistance. ​

Work/Life Connections-EAP coordinates Crisis Intervention Services and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Services for the Vanderbilt community.

If you are having an immediate psychological crisis, please call Work/Life Connections-EAP at 615-936-1327. Please identify that you are in crisis and one of the counselors will talk with you on the phone or we may recommend an immediate appointment in our office.

The Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund was established in 1994 to financially assist Vanderbilt faculty and staff who are experiencing a temporary hardship due to a significant life event. An award is intended to be a major step for the employee in the return to financial stability.

All of us will grieve at one time or another. Grief is related to love and attachment; it is love under the condition of absence. Grieving is caring about someone who is no longer present. Loss, death and grief are part of the human experience. To grieve is normal; to not grieve is pathological.

According to the National Institute on Mental Health, more than 22.1 million American adults suffer from depression annually. Of those suffering from depression, more than 80% can be treated successfully. Although depression is common, many people do not receive treatment for their illness because they do not recognize the symptoms which may include: