Domestic Violence awareness event focuses on dealing with stress and depression

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Vicksburg will be holding several events next week to help raise the community’s awareness of the issue.

On Monday, one of the events is focused on dealing with stress and wellness in a holistic sense, and is co-sponsored by Circuit Court Judge Toni Walker Terrett and her sister, attorney Kimberly Walker Naylor.

The featured speaker is Dr. LaFarra Young-Gaylor, who, like Terrett, is an alumna of Touglaloo College in Jackson.

“She’s a pathologist and a health coach,” Terrett said, “but she has written a book called ‘Chews to be Healthy’.” The book, subtitled “The Working Mom’s Interactive Guide for Disease and Weight Control,” focuses on helping women achieve a healthy balance in their lives, and that includes learning how to effectively deal with depression and stress.

The free event, “Minimize Stress, Maximize Time,” is from noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 21. The location is the Pemberton Event Center (5 Pemberton Place) in Vickburg behind the Shoney’s restaurant. A light lunch will be provided.

Registration is required due to limited space. Reserve your space by emailing wtnlaw@yahoo.com. Copies of “Chews to be Healthy” will be available for purchase, and there will be a raffle for door prizes.

Terrett says that when it comes to domestic violence, her observations lead her to believe that depression could be both a result and possibly the impetus that leads someone to making bad relationship decisions.

“Somebody, because they are depressed could be more susceptible to accepting things in a relationship that they normally wouldn’t, and maybe somebody who is dealing with a domestic violence situation … could lead to various types of depression,” she said.

Terrett has a long history of seeing how DV affects people. As a judge with the city, she supervised the domestic violence victim’s program, attended trainings on the subject and applied what she learned in the courtroom.

“It really opened my eyes to what was happening,” she said. Terrett also saw how the justice system could assist the women and men touched by DV. “You just hope that something that was said or done can help both the victims as well as the offenders,” she added.

“I hope that people will come out and really be enlightened and informed about depression and mental health awareness,” Terrett said.