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Diocesan Catholic Charities provide keys to resilience for volunteers

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Beverly Hubble Tauke, diocesan Catholic Charities board member and counselor, speaks to volunteers about resilience at St. John Neumann Church in Reston July 25. MARGOT CHAVEZ | COURTESY

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Chances are when you look around a crowded room or even at Mass,
there are people who are wounded. The wounds are not visible, but are felt in
their hearts. Many have survived terrible things and are still recovering.

Beverly Hubble Tauke offered guidance for those working with
individuals who have experienced trauma during a diocesan Catholic Charities
volunteer training at St. John Neumann Church in Reston July 25. Tauke,
Catholic Charities board member and counselor, spoke about keys to resilience.

“This is one of the most powerful subjects I can imagine. Part of
the reason is it doesn’t matter the background of the people,” said Tauke. “Resilience
is often not a simple matter because it depends on the person’s personal
experience. When we look at keys to resilience and triumph, it is an equal
opportunity for all.”

Tauke pointed out to the attendees that there were likely
unhealed wounds among those gathered. “If we use tools in an effective way to
find healing, we are in such a better position to be healing agents for people
around us,” she said. “Maybe the people you are encountering you just don’t
know are hurting inside, understanding these concepts will make a difference in
being able to assist them.”

Parishioners can help others by offering a dose of TLC as seeds
of God’s healing love, according to Tauke. “Research shows that even fleeting
experiences of kind attention can offer powerful long-term inner healing as
suggested by I Peter 4:8,” she said.

Tauke said faith plays a role in resilience. “On average, people
of committed, active faith are happier, live longer, have better mental and
physical health, greater marital satisfaction and even advantages in recovering
from addiction,” she said. “Teenagers who embrace a strong faith tend to enjoy
more academic success, more leadership roles, less anxiety and depression, and
more resistance to such risky behaviors as drug and alcohol abuse and sex.”

The church can respond to those who experience trauma, as well.

“Here’s to ever more parishes willing to sponsor addiction
support groups, divorce support groups, illness support and other types of ‘field
hospitals,’ as encouraged by Pope Francis,” Tauke said. “Joining others who
share difficult journeys in a faith context can be unusually empowering.”

Major infusions of encouragement, hope and friendship also come
through parish groups who are “pipelines of God’s love to the poor, homeless,
ill, imprisoned, ex-offenders and others. These networks build heart-nurturing
bonds with each other while reaching out with healing power to others.”

Tauke introduced the volunteers to the 10-question ACE test
(Adverse Childhood Experiences) that helps people see that issues are often
less about “what’s wrong with me” than “what happened to me.”

“It is not a cop out,” she said. “It is just reality that
relationships and events shape our lives, and clarity in our rearview mirrors
can improve strategies for moving forward.”

Biblical concepts and science merge for heart-healing strategies
that are far more profound than they may seem, according to Tauke. There are seven
steps rated by researchers as especially effective for improving state of mind,
mood management and coping skills: recruit positive allies; celebrate and thank
historic supporters; take fearless family inventory; build core virtues and
resilience habits; make positives a daily focus; forgive; and embrace faith.

The training was offered to volunteers and others who were hoping
to find out ways to help themselves. It also is being offered to those in the
Welcome Home Re-Entry program, which assists former inmates trying to get back
on their feet.

Sally O’Dwyer, director of volunteers for Catholic Charities, said
there is a therapeutic community among the Welcome Home Program. “They discuss
how to keep a positive state of mind, understanding where you came from and how
you see yourself might not be who you truly are,” said O’Dwyer. “A lot of times,
if you’ve experienced neglect, you may have a low expectation of yourself but
that might not actually be real. The reality is you have a lot to offer and
there’s a lot of good in you.”

Learning resilience can help people “navigate the workplace,
build on the positives in their lives, and learn gratitude, forgiveness and a
better self-understanding,” said O’Dwyer. “So many people focus on the negative,
and this is to help people focus on the good.”

O’Dwyer said the plan is to create a curriculum to offer in jails,
that is applicable anywhere.

“These are all tools people can use to help someone who is
suffering,” she said.  “You could use it
for hospice care, someone who is unemployed or all different scenarios to help
people feel better about themselves.”

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