To thank supporters and community partners, an Open House/Gratitude Gathering is noon to 2 p.m. Jan. 29. Register: 404-755-0068 or wsci@wholistic1.com.
Information: www.wholistic1.com.
Resources for the betterment of the community are often developed out of adversity. The Wholistic Stress Control Institute is a non-profit organization that holds that distinction.
Jennie C. Trotter, a former school counselor with Fulton County Schools, founded WSCI in 1984. Her motivation: to help reduce and alleviate the stress and nervousness children were experiencing during the Atlanta Murdered and Missing Children Crisis.
That effort birthed Project Stress Control, the Institute’s pilot program, a primary prevention program that teaches coping skills for reducing stress in students, parents, teachers, administrators and other professionals. It provides training for all individuals involved in a child’s education.
Located at 2545 Benjamin E. Mays Dr. SW, on the campus of Hoosier Memorial United Methodist Church for the past 20 years, the organization has kept to its mission “to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles through a wholistic approach, to increase positive coping skills for stress management and to decrease the incidence of stress-related illnesses and negative behaviors.”
The organization’s list of awards include the Governor’s Commission on Children and Youth, the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Award and the Georgia Prevention Pioneer Award. Through funding from federal, state and local grants, including from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Over the organization’s 30-year history, WSCI has partnered with several Southwest Atlanta-area schools to provide information programs, including Benjamin E. Mays High School, where a curriculum on the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking, or Project S.T.O.P. is part of an education awareness piece for both students and parents.
In addition to the stress management programs, other community oriented-programing includes HIV/AIDS education, substance abuse prevention, violence prevention, in-school suspension services and working with the court system to provide reentry services. They also offer referrals for treatment programs.
Another focus includes Wellness Programs that feature classes on meditation, yoga, tai-chi, qi-gong exercise and nutrition. The exercise classes are $10 and are open to the community on a weekly basis.
The Peace Program is an in-school suspension program for students with violent behavior.
Managing stress and the behaviors that stem from stress is a health matter that touches the lives of everybody, regardless of age, said Trotter, executive director.
“The focus is not only how to stop violence, but how do we help them to be whole,” she added.
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