National Mental Health Speaker At IPFW
FORT WAYNE — Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne will bring Aaron Moore, LMHC, a national speaker, to IPFW Tuesday, Oct. 8, to present “To Write Love On Her Arms.” Moore will present his moving and powerful message about stress care, struggles in life, depression, recovery, and healing and how we all can benefit. The event is free and open to the public.
“To Write Love on Her Arms” is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. This event will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Walb Student Union International Ballroom on campus.
“This program is relevant for our campus population,” said Eric Norman, dean of students at IPFW. “It is our hope that we can better identify individuals who may be at risk of self-harm so that we can support them in their journey towards improvement. We want to humanize their experience to let people know they are not alone and that our community is supportive and caring. This program provides a forum to enhance the conversation of self-betterment.”
As a licensed mental health counselor, Aaron Moore sees a wide range ofstruggling adults and teenagers searching for healing and recovery. Moore became involved with the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms in 2006 to speak against the secrecy and silenceaccompanying depression and addiction. Moore encourages people to speak openly about their personal struggles to battle the stigma of shame and weakness with honesty and compassion.
Moore has spoken to colleges and groups internationally, engaging audiences with a conversational style that invites people into a discussion of life, struggle, recovery, and healing. Moore balances a counselor’s perspective with real-life stories and humor.
Along with speaking on behalf of the organization, Moore helps to train and educate TWLOHA staff and interns. Moore also played a significant role in launching TWLOHA’s Move Community Conference, serving as the primary speaker and creating content and curriculum that help attendees gain a better understanding of difficult topics like addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicide.
Two out of three people with depression do not get help, and the third leading cause of death among 18-24 year olds is suicide. TWLOHA is dedicated to helping those who suffer from depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicidal tendencies find hope, support, and love.
TWLOHA has the largest online audience of any non-profit on MySpace and Facebook, and has responded to nearly 160,000 messages from more than 100 countries, and donated over $1 million to treatment and recovery organizations.
For more information and media availability contact Nicole Wilkins,
chief communications officer, at 260-481-4174 or [email protected].