A dozen university extension teams and churches have teamed up to support a series of webinars focusing on rural resiliency and mental health.
The webinars are aimed at farm families, as well as those who work with them as consultants or neighbors.
Iowa State University extension dairy specialist Larry Tranel will discuss healthy mindsets for dealing with rural behavioral health, communication skills and relationship enrichment for self, marriage and families with viewers. Tranel is a pastoral psychologist.
The first session will be 7:30-8:45 p.m. March 2 and will focus on farm stress resiliency and grief.
Subsequent sessions will be at the same time on consecutive Tuesday evenings in March.
On March 9, attendees will learn about personality keys when "married" to farm stress. March 16 will focus on dealing with the stresses of men, women and children. March 23 will focus on brain and behavioral health hacks to mitigate distress.
"Attention to simple, but proven, relationship behaviors and mindset tactics can truly elevate our personal and family well-being to better deal with whatever life sends our way," Tranel said in a news release from Iowa State University.
To sign up for the Zoom sessions, register at www.aep.iastate.edu/stress.
The series is supported by University of Missouri Extension; university extension in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin; the dioceses of Madison, Rockford, St. Cloud, New Ulm and Davenport; the archdiocese of Dubuque; the synods of northeastern, southeastern and western Iowa; ELCA; the Wisconsin Council of Churches and other rural church organizations.