Centerstone Spotlight Series begins, to focus on grief
Centerstone, a provider of behavioral health care, will hold the first Centerstone Spotlight Series event of 2019 on Jan. 29 at its second floor Great Room at 2615 Edwards St., Alton, from 5 to 7 p.m. The topic of the event will be “Working through your grief.”
Panel members include:
• Tom Schmidt, LPC – Schmidt is a counselor focusing on grief and trauma for more than five years. Schmidt is a certified Trauma Specialist and works for Centerstone.
• Jodi Flesner, PhD, LPC – Flesner is a clinician and program coordinator at Heartlinks Grief Center. She conducts grief counseling with individuals, families and children.
• Amy Blankenship, LCPC – Blankenship is a therapist with Catholic Charities since 2014. She has been working as a therapist since 2004.
• Pam Rorie, MSW, LCSW – Rorie is a Hospice of Southern Illinois Social Worker and Bereavement Counselor who has facilitated grief and loss support seminars and groups with Hospice of Southern Illinois and Eden Church in Edwardsville.
The Spotlight Series events will be held once a quarter throughout 2019, on the last Tuesday of January, April, July, and October, from 5 to 7 p.m. at various locations.
Each event will begin with appetizers, refreshments and networking from 5 to 5:30 p.m., followed by presentations by the experts and question-and-answer sessions with audience members.
“We are looking forward to opening the Spotlight Series this year with a focused discussion on grief,” said Centerstone Director of Advancement Jocelyn Popit.
In September of 2016, Centerstone launched “Centerstone Spotlights,” a new educational series designed to highlight key behavioral health topics affecting our community.
Past Spotlights have been on Suicide Prevention, Caring for Aging Adults, and Substance Abuse.
“Each Spotlight Series discussion will feature a panel of experts from the surrounding area, and we really think this will showcase the strength of our community and our ability to work together to address issues in our own backyards,” Popit said.
Popit and Chelsea Boyles, Centerstone Marketing Specialist, will serve as the event’s moderators.
“These events have historically been well-attended, with lively discussion and focused questions,” Popit said.
The event is free. People should RSVP through the event’s Facebook page at bit.ly/CSS-Grief. For more information, contact Dalus Ben Avi at (855) 608-3560, ext. 7830 or dalus.benavi@centerstone.org.
