Thank you for supporting the cause of Professionals United for Parkland (PU4P) over the past few years. My name is Luna Medina-Wolf and I have been the president of PU4P the past two years. I decided to write this newsletter as I transition out of my role and pass the torch to our board member Ilene Glance. When the shooting happened in 2018, I felt helpless. I felt I had to do something to support the community. As a trauma specialist, I had a duty to make sure services provided were evidence-based approaches and by providers who specialized in working with trauma. It was important to me to help support a therapeutic community that would maximize the healing for those suffering. As I reflect back on everything we did together as a board, I feel truly honored to be part of such an amazing organization. Over the past few years roles changed but the commitment and dedication of the board members did not. We remain a group of motivated volunteers, working together for the common good of our community. Over the years, community partnerships funded over 500 therapists to attend trainings on serving survivors of communal trauma. We held two retreats for the staff of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. They were provided best practice information and support groups, as well as some nice treats and gifts! We also had two special events for parents in the community. I’m proud to say we contributed back to the community over these last few years. We have been able to vet a list of trauma therapists who are willing to support the community for the long run. Working alongside agencies like the United Way and Eagles Haven allowed us to reach a greater population. This ensured that anyone who wanted support has it available as fast as possible and with someone specializing in trauma. We collaborated with the Coral Springs Museum of Arts and other organizations on several occasions as a therapeutic presence. I feel confident the mission of our organization will continue growing because of the members of the board. We plan to stay around for as long as we are needed. We want to continue proving trainings for therapists to understand the difference between trauma informed care and trauma specialization to prevent any re-traumatization of clients. We are here to assess the community needs and show up where we are needed. I cannot end this newsletter without mentioning the fact that September is suicide awareness month. Many times following a communal trauma there are cases of death by suicide. Sadly, our community had to experience that as well. Going through a tragedy like our community suffered can be very challenging for years to come. There are some great resources on our website www.PU4P.org as well as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/national-suicide-prevention-week and National Alliance on Mental Health https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/suicide-prevention-awareness-month. Part of our message as an organization is that we never want anyone to feel helpless or without support. We are committed to be a resource for clinicians and the community today and always. If you would like to continue supporting out mission we have our upcoming Superhero 5k race on October 23rd, 2021. It’s an all family friendly event with costume contests and prizes. Please consider attending, becoming a sponsor or both of you can. Click here for more info. Thank you for allowing me to serve the community the past few years. It’s been a true honor. I plan to continue doing that through my work and being a board member. Sincerely, Luna Medina-Wolf, LMHC, NCC, MCAP, QS, EMDR Certified Therapist Past President, Professionals United for Parkland
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
PU4P Updates Interested in joining our trauma trained therapists (licensed only) - please take a few moments of your time and join the PU4P referral directory. The MSD community will need services for the long run. PU4P links those in need with a vetted list of trauma therapists. We ask for a commitment of 2 pro-bono clients a year. For more information or questions, please contact info@pu4p.org. Please support PU4P by designating it as your charity with The AmazonSmile Foundation. They will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible smile.amazon.com purchases. Don't forget to check our Facebook page for the most current events, updates, and information about PU4P! Thank you for your support of PU4P and your dedication to the Parkland community.
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