Empathia, Inc. – Good For People. Good For Business.

Empathia has partnered with Help Texts to offer a secure, private, and easy way to get grief support when dealing with a loss, further expanding its support options available to members.

WAUKESHA, Wis. (PRWEB)
November 29, 2022

Empathia, Inc. has partnered with Help Texts to further expand the support options available to its members. Help Texts is a secure, private, and easy way to get meaningful grief support when dealing with a loss.

“Empathia is always looking for partner organizations that expand the ways our members can receive support. Through Help Texts, we’re able to offer a new way for individuals to receive one-on-one assistance that will help them through some of the most difficult times in their lives,” said Empathia’s Chief Growth Officer, Brian Summers. “We are thrilled to have Help Texts as an option for our customers, and to incorporate it into our broader offerings, such as our Grief, Coping, and Resiliency program.”

As part of this partnership, covered members will receive access to a 12-month subscription for themselves and up to two others. As long as the individual has access to a mobile phone that can receive SMS messages, they have access to Help Texts. Help Texts currently sends messages in 19 languages, with more languages coming soon.

Users receive texts at least twice a week and on important dates such as birthdays and holidays. Since research shows that receiving support from others helps grievers feel less alone, each Help Texts subscription includes the option to add up two supporters to also receive messages with tips and resources to help the griever cope with their unique loss. Supporters will receive texts at least once a week and on dates that are relevant to the grieving person.

“With companies across the country working hard to care for and support an increasing number of people who are facing grief and other life challenges, we’re honored to be working with the deeply compassionate team at Empathia,” said Emma Payne, Help Texts’ founder & CEO. “We see—every day—how impactful ongoing, expert text-based support can be, and are thrilled to now be making it easy for Empathia’s members with immediate grief and mental health support.”

Empathia’s client organizations may now add Help Texts to their existing programs; the service is also available as an addition to Empathia’s freestanding Grief, Coping, and Resiliency program.

About Help Texts

Help Texts (formerly Grief Coach) sends personalized text messages to help people after a loss. Grieving people receive resources and tips all year long to help them feel less alone. If they have friends and family who want to help, but aren’t sure how, Help Texts sends them suggestions via SMS text, too. To learn more, visit the Help Texts website at helptexts.com.

About Empathia, Inc.

Empathia is an industry-leading, full-service global provider of Employee Assistance Programs (LifeMatters EAP), Student & Family Assistance Programs (StudentLife), and Crisis Management & Response Services (Black Swan Solutions). For over 40 years, Empathia has delivered reliable, quality-driven services to organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small, locally-owned businesses. For more information, visit empathia.com.

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“I would like this book to be read, shared, and discussed creating a better understanding of how suicide affects many people in many different ways”

PORT MATILDA, Pa. (PRWEB)
November 29, 2022

In 2020, 45,979 people died by suicide in the U.S. Each one of those had friends, family and loved ones that cared for them, amounting to a much greater toll that was affected. “Peaceful Waters”, is a story that shows how suicide affects those that are left behind.

The focus of this book follows a woman named Fen McCallin, who recently suffered the loss of her best friend and lover, Donovan, to suicide. Fen is haunted by Donovan’s ghost as she attempts to work through her stages of grief. She embarks on a physical journey that she has always wanted to go on and this physical journey leads to emotional and mental healing that transforms Fen to come out stronger on the other side.

“I would like this book to be read, shared, and discussed creating a better understanding of how suicide affects many people in many different ways,” Hutcheson said. “I would like greater cognizance of the importance of keeping the good memories and moving forward.”

Hutcheson wrote this book to entice conversation, as well as keeping good memories and moving forward.

“This is a love letter dedicated to those who have lost someone dear to suicide and who must reemerge to life and to love,” Hutcheson said.

“Peaceful Waters” By Anne Hutcheson ISBN: 9781663243317 (softcover); 9781663243331 (hardcover); 9781663243324 (electronic)

Available at iUniverse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author Anne Hutcheson lives with her husband and two exceptional rescue cats in Central Pennsylvania. After enjoying three decades as a teacher and school administrator, she retired to pursue her passions for writing, traveling, hiking, the healing arts, and wine and food pairing as a sommelier. She has written four previous books in the past decade. To learn more, please visit https://www.iuniverse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/838705-peaceful-waters.

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“I want to show readers that they have the power within them to change their life,” Smith said. “With an open mind, they can be as safe as they wish to be, emotionally and physically.”

ORLANDO, Fla. (PRWEB)
November 21, 2022

After becoming a therapist and the owner of his private practice, author Marvin Leigh Smith, MBA, MSW, LCSW introduces “The One Minute Therapists: Self-help that actually works for people in a hurry to feel better!” a self-help book offering readers advice on conquering their fears, managing stress, anxiety, and depression; and finding the humor in life’s challenges.

An inspiration fed from the emotional trends seen in his patients, Smith felt called to share advice with people who may be hesitant in seeing a counselor or a therapist. Readers may learn how the human mind works and process their experiences and emotions. He invites his readers to develop critical thinking as they have the power within them to change their mindset and spiritual growth.

“My hope is for readers to find something in this book that speaks to them in a personal way and is helpful for their emotional and spiritual growth,” Smith said. “Every day presents readers a new possibility to safely explore every emotion we experience to the fullest extent possible.”

By learning to know they’re not alone in their feelings and emotions, readers may feel connected to society in a positive light. Smith hopes by reading his book, readers will feel more connected, be open to change, and can constantly rewire their brains.

“I want to show readers that they have the power within them to change their life,” Smith said. “With an open mind, they can be as safe as they wish to be, emotionally and physically.”

“The One Minute Therapists: Self-help that actually works for people in a hurry to feel better!”

By Marvin Leigh Smith, MBA, MSW, LCSW

ISBN: 979-8765234242 (softcover); 978-1097456116 (hardcover)

Available at Author Website, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Marvin Leigh Smith has been fascinated with human behavior his whole life. He is a therapist in private practice, author, songwriter, avid photographer, Vietnam veteran, 1st-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and certified scuba Dive Master. His forty-year career has included a broad range of people-oriented experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He has produced and co-hosted educational television programs for improving human capabilities through stress management, coping with change, enhancing communication skills, and building self-esteem. He has also conducted corporate and non-profit training workshops nationally and assisted in teaching college-level classes in innovation and creativity. He is a graduate of Florida State University with an MBA in Marketing and an MSW in Counseling. To learn more, please visit https://oneminutetherapist.com/

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE – Phoenix                        

Taylor Moralez

Tmoralez@lavidge.com

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“Today’s schools need a clear path to holistic safety and student wellness—one that is humanistic, inclusive and contextualized,” said JP Guilbault, Chief Executive Officer at Navigate360.

RICHFIELD, Ohio (PRWEB)
November 17, 2022

Navigate360, the nation’s leader in K–12 student wellness and physical safety solutions, has acquired PBIS Rewards, an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional and mental health. The acquisition expands Navigate360’s leading whole-child safety suite, giving district leaders the tools, expertise and confidence they need to create safe school environments for 50 million U.S. students and strengthen the academic performance of our youth.

PBIS, which stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, provides a framework for schools and educators to create a safe learning environment where students feel valued and connected through tiered support. With the addition of PBIS Rewards, Navigate360 is setting the new standard for whole-child safety through modern, holistic solutions that address school climate and culture, full-cycle emergency management, early detection, assessment and violence prevention—issues that all desperately require action in today’s schools.

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published data tied to the growing concern around students’ mental health. According to the findings, more than one-third—37 percent—of high school students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, middle and high school students identified depression, stress and anxiety as the biggest barriers to their learning according to a report from YouthTruth, a national nonprofit that surveys K–12 students and their families.

“School safety, culture and student wellness needs continue to evolve as we emerge from the pandemic. Parents and administrators fight an uphill battle to improve academic performance while also addressing mental wellness issues and school violence,” said JP Guilbault, Chief Executive Officer at Navigate360. “This school-year alone, we are seeing a 30–50% increase in tips and alerts related to self-harm, weapons and sexual violence. Combining Motivating Systems’ leading PBIS Rewards platform with Navigate360 further advances our ability to identify early warning signs associated with a pathway to violence or self-harm, and connect our youth with the help needed so they can return to a pathway to wellness,” Guilbault continued.

“Traditional point solutions continue to frustrate and burden school staff due to outdated, siloed and built for other country’s policy and regulations, and offer static experiences that cannot address evolving needs of the whole child. Today’s schools need a clear path to holistic safety and student wellness—one that is humanistic, inclusive and contextualized. This marks another step forward in providing schools with the data-driven insights and tools needed to effectively reinforce positive behavior while identifying and connecting those students showing early signs of concerning behavior with the right resources at the right time,” added Guilbault.

An integral part of education and human development, research shows social-emotional learning has a positive effect on students’ academic performance, relationships, mental health and more. The acquisition gives educators using Navigate360 the tools to accelerate the learning of behaviors that foster healthy identities and relationships—while helping correct behaviors with contextual interventions.

Pairing PBIS Rewards with Navigate360’s Suite360’s mental, social and character-building intervention curricula, as well as Behavioral Threat & Suicide Case Management, educators can:

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  Deliver whole-child character and life skill education and recognize their students’ positive behaviors—providing positive reinforcement that motivates students
• Identify early signs of distress in their students through social-emotional check-ins, while also documenting concerning behavior to ensure early interventions
• Connect, share and analyze critical information with colleagues about behavioral threat assessment case management
• Leverage reports and key insights from school-, district- and profile-level data
• Apply thousands of robust and prescriptive intervention courses that support playbooks aligned with schools’ PBIS and MTSS frameworks

“For the past six years, we have successfully empowered educators to transform their classroom and school climates into positive learning environments through PBIS Rewards,” said Pat Heck, Chief Executive Officer at PBIS Rewards. “We know that when schools and districts prioritize PBIS Rewards, office referrals and suspensions drastically decrease. To date, we have impacted more than 1 million students in 7 countries, and we are excited to expand our work through Navigate360.”

Founded in 2016, Motivating Systems is the parent company for PBIS Rewards, Workplace Rewards and TRiO Perks—helping organizations motivate people to do their best. Through Motivating Systems’ Software-as-a-Service platforms, organizations can utilize technology and reward systems to motivate people with positive reinforcement.

Pat Heck will continue with Navigate360 as the Company’s Chief Technology Officer, and PBIS Rewards customers will continue to receive the service and support they have come to expect from the team and Navigate360 customers can look forward to learning more about PBIS Rewards in the coming weeks.

To learn more about the acquisition, visit https://www.navigate360.com/blog-news/The-Future-of-Whole-Child-Student-Safety. For more information on Navigate360, please visit https://www.navigate360.com.

About Navigate360

Navigate360 is the nation’s leader in K–12 mental wellness and physical safety solutions, and the most widely chosen safety partner in the United States, protecting more than 50,000 schools, districts, law enforcement agencies, businesses and houses of worship nationwide. For more than 20 years, they have helped communities mitigate and reduce acts of violence with solutions backed by research and developed by industry experts.

Through their complementary and integrated suite of safety and wellness solutions, they enable organizations to enhance their safety plans with threat detection and prevention, mental health and wellness, safety management and preparedness, and active shooter response training. The success of every Navigate360 partner is ensured with world-class, U.S.-based safety consultants who help customize, implement and support their solutions. To learn more, visit https://www.navigate360.com.

About PBIS Rewards

PBIS Rewards is a Software-as-a-Service solution that provides an automated schoolwide PBIS management system. PBIS Rewards simplifies the tracking of the PBIS framework within a school. An evidence-based framework used by schools to improve school culture and student behavior, PBIS promotes a safe environment for learning. To learn more, visit https://www.pbisrewards.com.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB)
November 16, 2022

International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS) has selected PENCIL and Youth Villages Middle Tennessee as recipients of the 2022 Starfish Campaign awards.

The Starfish Campaign is an annual giving initiative that encourages ISTS employees to demonstrate the company’s Core Value of “Help Others” by nominating and selecting charities to receive a monetary gift as well as volunteer programming participation.

PENCIL is a non-profit organization that builds strategic community partnerships to bridge the resource, training and supply gaps that public schools face that directly impact educational outcomes. Through three primary programs – PENCIL Partners, DG PENCIL Box and Accelerating Scholars Tutors – PENCIL supports more than 81,000 students at 168 Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Youth Villages is a national leader in children’s emotional, mental and behavioral health that offers evidence-based programs – such as in-home services, crisis services, residential treatment and foster care – to help youth and their families live successfully. Youth Villages currently serves children from birth to age 22 with operations in twenty-three states and 101 locations across the country.

Since President & CEO Becky Sharpe established the campaign in 2010, ISTS has provided financial assistance to more than thirty-five organizations. Read more about the Starfish Campaign and view a list of previous recipients at applyISTS.com/about/Community.

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Founded in 1985, International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. provides comprehensive management of educational assistance programs, including scholarships, grants, loan repayment and tuition reimbursement. ISTS is a 100% women-owned company, focused on offering innovative technology and sustainable solutions to corporations, foundations, associations, unions and other organizations worldwide. For more information about ISTS, visit applyISTS.com.

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“While education is the primary goal, Salesians know that youth living in conditions of poverty have many more needs that can be addressed before sitting down and focusing in a classroom,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (PRWEB)
November 13, 2022

WORLD DAY OF THE POOR: Salesian Missions highlights social programs for Catholic observance

Day was established by Pope Francis in 2016 at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in honor of the poor.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Nov. 13, 2022) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins Catholic organizations around the globe in honoring World Day of the Poor. The day, celebrated on Nov. 13, will be the 6th celebration of the day. This day was established by Pope Francis in 2016 at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in honor of the poor.

In this year’s message, Pope Francis noted, “The World Day of the Poor comes this year as a healthy challenge, helping us to reflect on our style of life and on the many forms of poverty all around us.” He recalled the economic challenges brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Nearly 30,000 Salesian priests, brothers, sisters, and novices are working in more than 130 countries around the globe bringing education, workforce development, and social programs to poor youth and their families. They work in some of the most challenging circumstances and are among the first to respond during humanitarian crises or natural disasters.

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  – “While education is the primary goal, Salesians know that youth living in conditions of poverty have many more needs that can be addressed before sitting down and focusing in a classroom,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions.

“That’s why Salesian missionaries work to meet basic needs like shelter, food, medical care, and clean water while also working to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most. Once these most basic needs are met, youth have a better chance at succeeding in school.”

In honor of the World Day of the Poor, Salesian Missions highlights unique educational and social programs that are helping poor and at-risk youth meet their basic needs, receive an education, and find a path out of poverty, bringing them hope for the future.

GUATEMALA

Salesian missionaries in San Pedro Carchá have been working on a housing reconstruction project since torrential rains and severe flooding decimated rural villages in Guatemala. The storm on Nov. 4, 2020, isolated entire rural communities and devastated crops and housing. Chiachal, approximately 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of San Pedro Carchá and home to 105 Indigenous Q’eqchi’ families, was especially impacted.

In coordination with the Salesian Provincial House and with financial support from Salesians in Central America, donors, and other charitable organizations, Salesian missionaries set out to support this community. The first step was to purchase municipal land for the construction of new housing and the church. The work took the cooperation of the local Don Bosco Center and the Salesian-run Talita Kumi Center.

The Sisters of the Resurrection also purchased land that has since been subdivided into 120 lots, where 105 new houses, three churches, a school, a health center, and a community hall have been built. Each family was granted a family farm and farm animals. A cardamom processing cooperative project, including a dryer, is also underway.

POLAND

Thanks to emergency aid funding that was sent to Salesian missionaries in Warsaw, Poland, Ukrainian refugees taking shelter in Salesian houses have supplies they need for daily living. With the funding, Salesians bought duvet covers, sheets, towels, and other supplies like soap, paper towels, and personal hygiene items.

Salesian missionaries in Poland and bordering countries have been providing shelter and support to refugees since the start of the Russian invasion in March 2022. Currently, there are 170 refugees in Salesian houses in the Warsaw province with the capacity to provide for up to 370 refugees.

Because of the supplies, refugees have been able to live in comfort and take care of their living quarters by themselves, which has given them a sense of independence and self-sufficiency. Refugees have been able to focus on looking for a job, caring for their children, and learning the Polish language, among other activities to help them become acclimated to their new environments.

SUDAN

Salesian missionaries with St. Joseph Vocational Training Center in Khartoum, Sudan*, are offering a solar energy project for the students taking the electricity course. The training is engaging students in hands-on exploration in the field of renewable energy. This project was made possible thanks to Bosco Global and financial support from Magone Foundation and the Provincial Council of Huesca, all in Spain.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, first- and second-year electricity students installed several solar panels in three different buildings on the school grounds. Students had the opportunity to learn the installation process, operation and proper use of the solar panels.

A Salesian missionary explained the project’s importance, saying, “Power outages of 10 hours a day can occur in Sudan, so solar energy is a key alternative to this problem, as well as making a very positive contribution to the environment. Currently, renewable energy is booming in the country.”

UGANDA

Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Children and Life Mission (Don Bosco CALM), located in the town of Namugongo just northeast of the city of Kampala, Uganda, received funding for five dairy cows thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions and the DD Lynch Family Foundation, an organization that gives to Catholic causes to end human suffering.

With the funding, Salesians bought five dairy cows to provide milk for children in their programs. Four of the cows are now pregnant. An earlier donation by the DD Lynch Family Foundation provided the funding for a modern cowshed so the cows live in good conditions and are cared for by a veterinary doctor and a full-time shepherd.

The project will be sustainable because the cows will multiply, increasing milk productivity. This prevents malnutrition among the children who live in the orphanage and attend the primary school at Don Bosco CALM. Most of the children cared for by the Salesians were once living on the street and are HIV positive or in some other vulnerable situation.

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*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control

About Salesian Missions USA

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers, and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.

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Contact:

Hannah Gregory

media@salesianmissions.org

914-960-4642 (text messages OK)

Twitter: @MissionNewswire

Newswire: MissionNewswire.org

Press room: SalesianMissions.org/press

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB)
November 10, 2022

Today Aceable, the digital driver’s education platform, released a new report revealing that the lack of time Americans have spent driving over the past two years has had significant long-term impacts – namely, higher driving anxiety and road rage.

Aceable’s Parent & Teen Drivers Post-Pandemic Research states that 92% of people drove less over the past two years than before March 2020. And now, even though 73% of people are driving at the same levels as before, 27% of people are still driving less than pre-pandemic. More than half of these (53%) state they feel more anxious about driving now than they did prior to March 2020 with Gen Z drivers (ages 18-25) 22% more likely to say they experience driving anxiety.

What is causing this anxiety? 47% of drivers admit that a lack of drive-time during the pandemic caused their driving abilities to deteriorate. But their anxiety doesn’t stem solely from a lack of trust in their own abilities, but also that of fellow drivers. 58% worry that other drivers’ skills have worsened since the pandemic’s onset, and a third of those on the road do not feel confident in the driving abilities of others behind the wheel.

Drivers also experience anxiety due to varying road conditions such as time of day and destination. Of those experiencing driving anxiety, 42% say that the morning causes more anxiety while driving than any other time of the day and 39% feel anxiety caused by traffic congestion. As more employees make the return to office, work-related stress can impact a commute with 52% of respondents mentioning work stress as a source of driving-related anxiety. Coupled with an extended period of time away from the wheel, an increase in commuters on the road can make for a stressful driving experience.

Driving with anxiety can have potentially dangerous outcomes, especially because anxiety in drivers tends to manifest in harmful habits and reactions like road rage. 68% of drivers expressed they’ve seen an increase in road rage from other drivers compared to pre-pandemic. But nobody is immune: 62% admitted to increased feelings of road rage themselves since getting back on the road in 2022, with men 22% more likely to say this. Anxiety and road rage are significant distractions for those in the driver’s seat. Most of the time, a defensive driving mindset is put on the back burner, increasing the risk of accidents.

“It’s clear drivers want to return to the road after two years of pandemic shutdowns and isolation from friends and family,” said Aceable Senior Driving Analyst Laura Adams. “But it’s alarming to see both an increase in anxiety and road rage in drivers hitting the road today. For many, the reality is that a lack of practice has impacted driving skills. That correlates to the data showing drivers are more anxious and quicker to anger. So, drivers should brush up on driving skills to be safer behind the wheel.”

According to Aceable’s report, defensive driving courses are in high demand post-pandemic, with 64% of respondents indicating they have taken a course since the onset of the pandemic. In order to meet the demand and make courses more accessible as well as convenient, Aceable made history with the launch of a first-of-its-kind audio-only defensive driving course. The course, available now in Texas and with plans to expand, is designed to play like a podcast with audio in the background, allowing consumers to cut out hours of screen time and ingest information in the way that works best for them.

Additional findings from Aceable’s Parent & Teen Drivers Post-Pandemic Research include data correlated to teen driving anxiety as a result of the pandemic. 9 in 10 parents reported their teen postponed getting their license because they were anxious about driving. This is largely due to a lack of driving experience caused by pandemic shutdowns, adding getting a license to the list of ways COVID-19 has impacted how people go about their day to day lives.

About Aceable

Aceable is a digital education platform that exists to provide unparalleled, accredited digital driving training to build the life people want. Named one of the Best Places to Work in Austin for multiple years running by numerous entities, including Austin Business Journal, BuiltInAustin and EqualOcean, Aceable is headquartered in Austin, TX, but our team works remotely across select states in the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.aceable.com

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