Description
701: Overcoming Loneliness and Social Isolation: The Power of Walking Alongside Someone in Life’s Darkest Times
Carrie O’Toole, M.A.
Carrie O’Toole Ministries
1283 Ash Hollow Pl.
Castle Rock, CO 80104
David Hurd
Carrie O’Toole Ministries
1283 Ash Hollow Pl.
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Summary
Loneliness has been on the rise for some time, but it exploded in 2020! More than ever, people are struggling with isolation, addiction, mental health issues, and disconnection. Loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Two in five Americans report that they sometimes or always feel their social relationships are not meaningful, and one in five says he or she feels lonely or socially isolated. So what happens when an already lonely person goes through a crisis, whether brought on by outside forces or of their own making? This workshop will focus on the relationship between a former student and teacher in the late 1980s and continued through three and a half years of prison incarceration. Can one positive relationship make a difference? Join Carrie O’Toole and David Hurd as they discuss the beginning of their relationship, how he got so far off track, ended up in prison, received healing from his childhood issues, and in what way their relationship played a crucial role in his recovery.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
• Discuss the societal and personal implications of loneliness and isolation
• Identify how a lonely, disconnected person can use detrimental survival techniques to cope with loneliness, only to find themselves further isolated and in serious trouble
• Analyze the values of protective factors and how to implement them and offer assistance during times when the connection is lacking
