By Ekene Osuchukwu

The Psych Club at PA had a special meeting with guest speaker Yvette Yates, who spoke about the VB Strong Center.

The VB Strong Center opened in October and was created in response to the shooting incident that occurred at the courthouses in May of last year. The Center is designed to treat patients who are seeking long-term help from the shooting. People who were affected by the shooting now have a resource that can help them heal from the trauma. 

Psych club sponsor Amanda Augustine said that she enjoyed how the Center provided “amazing things from behavioral therapy to yoga classes and even to community activities.”

Yates discussed Mental health care and how the VB Strong Center aims to provide that for the community. The discussion of mental health proves especially helpful after a tragedy like the shooting at the courthouses.

“The events from the shooting at the courthouses are still affecting Virginia Beach,” said Yates. That’s why she felt it so important to share the center’s work with Psych Club.

The services they offer help city workers and first responders cope with the tragedy that will have a “forever effect on their lives,” said Yates. 

“The best part about Yates’ speech,” said Psych Club president Lexi Geoghegan, “was knowing that our city has enough inner connectedness to know and act on its citizens’ mental health while providing aid to the public as well as workers when coping with grief and tragedy.”

One of the main goals of Psych Club is to “normalize the discussion about mental health,” said Augustine. It is for that reason that Yates and her work with the VB Strong Center served as the “perfect” connection.

“People really enjoyed her speech and it made me realize that Psych Club has a special place in my heart,” said Geoghegan. “People should know that learning about the inner workings of the mental health community is valuable and affects everyone.”