LIBERTY — Members of New Life Christian Fellowship Church are working with local agencies to help any traumatized residents, especially those suffering through the coronavirus pandemic, achieve resiliency.

The church recently held a four-week seminar with people of various professions — including clergy, teaching, administrative and law enforcement personnel — to discuss the effects of adverse childhood experiences to a person’s overall health and well-being.

Speakers at the event focused on the importance of building resiliency to buffer adversity. They explained that building resiliency is an inner capacity that can be nurtured, facilitated, and supported by others. This process empowers children, youth and families to meet successfully life’s challenges with a sense of self-determination, mastery, hope and well-being.

Sheila Constantino of New Life Christian Fellowship said the four-week program had presenters with open dialogue available for questions and answers. The Liberty church opened its doors to the public for the series, working with pregnancy resource, wellness, drug addiction and counseling centers.

Constantino said she attended a similar program last summer similar and believed this program was needed for the community.

“We want people who attended to take this information back with them to their places of business or their organizations,” she said.

New Life Pastor Mike Constantino said: “Our goal is to integrate this trauma-informed care into the community more and partner with other groups to direct people to where they can receive help.”

Lindsay Goossens, education director at the SMARTS Center in Youngstown, shared how she focused on the way people

can overcome trauma from

childhood or any adult experience.

“We look at practical approaches we can do as individuals to heal and overcome. We look at ways that families within in our communities can be helped through their churches or workplaces,” Goossens said.

Carol McCorkle of Girard, a member of New Life church, said: “With the world we live in today, you hardly meet a family who doesn’t face some sort of trauma, either presently or something in the past. You feel like the church or anyone in the community needs information on how to help identify with it and how to relate to it.”

Melissa Kuneli, another church member, said: “There needs to be a compassion of understanding knowing there is a lot more to some stories than we see on the outside of someone. That is important to me because I am a nurse, and this information will help me in my care of patients. This was valuable information to learn about. In school I learned about resilience, but I didn’t understand how it could be cultivated,”

Kuneli said people have experienced trauma as a child or adult and need understanding from others.

“I am realizing how much people are impacted by childhood trauma that carries on in their lives,” Kuneli said.

In school, Kuneli said she learned about resiliency and was excited to be able to learn more about it.

The Rev. Daniel Cesene, chaplain for the Brookfield Police Department, said it is important for people to have an awareness of this issue that they may not have had before.

“We are going from awareness to an understanding. The different sessions help us to put what we have learned into action and practice it,” Cesene said.

Christine Brugler, a registered nurse, spoke during the sessions about adverse childhood experiences and the need for people to spend more time with their children.

Trauma during childhood has an effect on the brain of a developing child, and Brugler said this trauma can potentially cause a lot of health issues.

“This is part of a bringing awareness of this in Trumbull County,” Brugler said about the steering committee discussing the topic.

Bonnie Wilson is coordinator of the Family and Children First Council of Trumbull County, which sponsored the sessions along with the church. Wilson said professionals from child welfare, mental health, education, developmental disabilities and early childhood education promote an understanding of the physical and emotional effects of childhood trauma, leading to more effective responses and treatment for children and youth.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com