The East Tennessee SPJ Chapter and the Front Page Foundation are sponsoring a special training session for journalists covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in areas of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina devastated by the storm.
At least 230 people are known dead as a result of the hurricane that roared through the mountains on Sept. 27 causing billions of dollars worth of damage. The recovery is expected to take years.
It has been called a once in a 1,000-year weather event with an unprecedented level of destruction to mountain communities.
Because of the severity of the hurricane, ETSPJ and the Front Page Foundation are partnering with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University for a 75-minute virtual training session (via Zoom) on coping with stress, trauma, and burnout at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
The session is free, but space is limited and sign-ups are required. Deadline to sign up is Nov. 18.
Use this link to sign up.
The session will be led by Dr. Sumi Raghavan with the Dart Center.
What Will Be Covered
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma will cover coping with stress, trauma, and burnout, which will cover the basics of self-care and collegial support (e.g. the impact of covering trauma and tragedy on journalists) and offer concrete guidance and techniques for enriching ones coping skills and wellness, and building resilient news teams.
Trainer Bio
Dr. Sumi Raghavan is a clinical psychologist and former tenure track psychology professor who works with adults dealing with a range of issues including chronic stress, burnout, and trauma.
Dr. Raghavan has extensive cross-cultural training, has published manuscripts on cultural differences in the traumatic stress response, and enjoys working clinically with clients of all backgrounds.
Beyond individual psychotherapy, she is a consultant for the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and offers workshops and training to organizations looking to support the mental health and well-being of their staff.
She combines her academic experience with her clinical skills to offer education, tools, and support to people in high-demand professions who are working to build resilience and learn true self-care.
She can be found at drsumiphd.com, and on Instagram at @DrSumiPHD.
About the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma is a resource center and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy.
It is a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, with international satellite offices in London and Melbourne.
The Center continues a mission that began in 1991 when Frank Ochberg M.D., a psychiatrist and pioneer in the treatment of traumatic stress, collaborated with journalism faculty at Michigan State University and the Michigan Victim Alliance to establish a small program to assist journalism students in reporting on victims of violence with sensitivity, dignity and respect.
The Dart Center’s mission includes:
- Advocating ethical and thorough reporting of trauma; compassionate, professional treatment of victims and survivors by journalists; and greater awareness by media organizations of the impact of trauma coverage on both news professionals and news consumers.
- Educating journalists and journalism students about the science and psychology of trauma and the implications for news coverage.
- Providing a professional forum for journalists in all media to analyze issues, share knowledge and ideas, and advance strategies related to the craft of reporting on violence and tragedy.
- Creating and sustaining interdisciplinary collaboration and communication among news professionals, clinicians, academic researchers and others concerned with violence, conflict and tragedy.
About the Front Page Foundation
The Front Page Foundation is a non-profit corporation chartered in 2015 to raise funds benefiting journalism in all news media – print, electronic, and digital – through scholarships, professional development activities, and educational programs for the public on vital issues in journalism.
About the East Tennessee SPJ Chapter
The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (ETSPJ) draws membership from all of East Tennessee and is based in Knoxville.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.