An interactive wellness workshop will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Gannon University Recreation and Wellness Center as part of Wellness Week.

The event has been titled “Living Well as a Student in Uncertain Times.”

The workshop will be held by Kimberly Morrow, a licensed clinical social worker.

Her specialty is treating those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety.

For 15 years Morrow has also been teaching other professionals how to treat people with anxiety.

Morrow has written several books pertaining to both OCD and anxiety.

During her own years in college Morrow earned her master’s degree in psychology.

Then later in her schooling she made the choice to get a second master’s degree in social work rather than continue on for her doctorate in psychology.

For Morrow, this was a risk that she was happy she took because it did benefit her in the long run.

When discussing her years as a student, she spoke of words of encouragement and not letting a risky move put you in a position to not follow your passions.

“Tune into what lights you up along the way and find more ways to get involved with those experiences,” Morrow said.

“The more you live your truth, sharing your gifts and talents, the path will show itself.”

Morrow has decided to bring the attention back to the students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At a time when [young adults] should have lots of connection, opportunities and excitement, the pandemic has limited all of these experiences for them,” Morrow said.

During her presentation Morrow hopes to reach students in a way that will allow them to face their fears and handle the uncertainties of life better.

Morrow has presented to several groups including students and faculty alike.

During one such presentation she encouraged those who attended to face their fears.

Not only was this a discussion of facing fears, but an interactive activity with a tarantula as a special guest.

“Our therapy can get kind of crazy as I help people expose themselves to their worst fears to teach their brain that they can handle distress and anxiety,” Morrow said.

Morrow’s hope for those who attend is to provide specific ways that students can apply what they learn immediately after the workshop.

This entails pushing the stu dents out of their comfort zone into an area of being able to take calculated risks and begin to thrive once again.

Michael Madonia, a staff therapist on Gannon’s campus, mentioned that anxiety is what the counseling center deals with most from students.

Having Morrow visit the university to discuss the problems that come along with anxiety will allow for students to gain knowledge of other ways to deal with anxiety-ridden situations.

“The goal of having Kimberly come to campus is to give everyone another opportunity to discuss these problems and to consider some new options for coping,” said Madonia

JILLIAN WELLS
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