Dear Drake Homes,
I am reaching out on behalf of Eastern Illinois University and the Department of Counseling and Higher Education to provide you with information regarding a free professional development workshop. This workshop, which includes a research study, is about reducing mental health stigma and building coping skills throughout Central Illinois. The research study portion of this workshop aims to assess the effectiveness of the program intended to bring mental wellness and support toolkits, workshops, and resources to community agencies. I, along with an additional Graduate Assistant of the Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Payton Turk, will be presenting on mental wellness intending to educate the community about mental health concerns, coping skills, and resources available in Coles County. Upon attending the presentation, participants will receive self-care kits with various items intended to encourage healthy self-care habits.

As mentioned previously, the purpose of this study is to not only educate participants, but also collect data to assess the effectiveness of the program. In order to collect data, participants will be asked to complete a short pre-test and post-test. These tests will remain anonymous and will not ask for identifiable information. Through data collection we hope to discover ways in which community members can best be educated about and assisted with mental wellness in the future.

We would love the opportunity to provide this mental wellness training and presentation for you and your employees. If you’re interested, feel free to contact me at mmhemrich@eiu.edu so we can work together to schedule a time that works best for you. If you have any questions regarding this information, please reach out as I am more than willing to answer them. I look forward to hearing from you and hope we can work together to reduce stigma and increase coping skills in Coles County.

Sincerely,
Madeline Hemrich