NSU to Host “Optimizing Mental Wellness” Community Event on May 19

Renowned School Safety and Crisis Expert Dr. Scott Poland to Serve as Keynote Speaker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will host “Optimizing Mental Wellness” on May 19 from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Carl DeSantis Building’s atrium on NSU’S Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus, 33301 College Ave. This event is free and open to the public. It will feature ways to enhance overall wellbeing and will highlight the wide range of services that NSU provides to improve metal health.

Dr. Scott Poland

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year, yet less than half will seek any form of treatment due to stigma. Mental health has been linked to physical and social wellbeing, highlighting the importance of optimal wellness.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from several of NSU’s expert faculty and visit with representatives from the Psychology Services Center, Brief Therapy Institute-Family Clinic, and the Mailman Segal Center. Following the presentations, guests can participate in a clinic challenge to learn about the community services that are offered with prizes provided to the winners.

Scott Poland, Ed.D., will serve as the keynote speaker for the event and will discuss ways to protect schools and schoolchildren, as well as safety in the classroom. He is a nationally recognized expert on school crisis, youth violence, suicide intervention, self-injury, school safety, threat assessment, parenting and the delivery of psychological services in schools. For more information about Scott Poland, visit https://psychology.nova.edu/faculty/profile/poland.html

Additional speakers from NSU’s College of Psychology, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development include:

• Ralph (Gene) E. Cash, Ph.D., ABPP              Avoiding Depression in Difficult Timescertified school psychologist
• Ashley Stripling, Ph.D.                                   Mental Health in Late Life
• Arlene Brett Gordon, Ph.D.                          Connecting Physical, Psychological and Social Circles

The schedule of events is as follows:

• Registration                                                       9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
• Welcome                                                            10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Mental Health Speakers                                  10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Keynote from Dr. Scott Poland                      11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Clinic Challenge                                                12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

To RSVP for Optimizing Mental Wellness, visit www.nova.edu/sharkchats.

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.

May 4, 2018

Media Contact Information:
Tasha Yohan | Public Relations and Marketing Communications
954-262-2172 (office) | 954-494-5848 (cell)
tyohan@nova.edu | www.nova.edu