Joy Pavelich, Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Operations at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, believes in the importance of sharing stories as a tool to move past the damaging impact of trauma. The loss of her 20-year-old son, Eric, to suicide in August 2013 inspired Joy to transfer her communication skills into supporting mental health awareness, advocacy, and action.
In this webinar, Joy will discuss her personal experiences with devastating loss and how such loss can transform one’s ability to locate hope through making meaning and finding purpose when these challenging times appear in our lives.
Joy Pavelich has been featured in Canadian Living magazine, sharing the family’s story of coping with extreme trauma and loss, and was also profiled in, among others, the Calgary-based Home of the Brave initiative for her work in mental health awareness. Her book “Chasing My Son Across Heaven” was released in August of 2020 and offers a first-hand account of the journey through emerging mental health challenges with her middle son Eric, the search for answers, the loss of him to suicide, and her corresponding pathway to learn to live a meaningful life by finding purpose in the tragedy.
Finding Purpose in Life’s Most Challenging Trials
Wednesday, September 21
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
