New director, services at Center for Life Experiences

On this episode of the Post Podcast Center for Life Experiences executive director Darian Schlegel shares updates from the center.

Transcript:

EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.

 

James Bell 

The Center for life experiences has a new executive director and some new programming on the way. Darien Schlegel stops by to share with us the details on this episode of the post podcast.

 

Darian Schlegel 

So a little bit about me, I'm from a City, Kansas, I moved to Hayes to go to college, and just recently graduated with my clinical psych in the psych department in May of 2022. And then I was recently hired at CFL II this July. So I've been there for about a month and a half now.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. Yeah, kind of settling in with Anna. She was a frequent guest on the show, obviously. And it's been several months before bird since we'd seen her that her last sign off, I think was, oh, goodness, May, June ish. And yeah, that transition happened to kind of wall in the interim. But how are things going?

 

Darian Schlegel 

Good, good. Yeah. And kind of stepped off in May. And she's been helping out here and there for a while helping me get adjusted and everything like that. So it's been, it's been good. We're learning and starting some new things. And we're excited. Very cool.

 

James Bell 

And, you know, I love that. Obviously, you know, you mentioned that you just got out of college, you're fairly young. And I think that's got to be a change, because and, and we've been there so long and really kind of made her own but to bring in that new ideas and the young blood, probably a little bit of a, I don't know, a nervous energy, but also excitement around there. Right?

 

Darian Schlegel 

Yeah, it was definitely, I don't want to say intimidating because it has kind of a negative connotation. But, um, yeah, it was definitely interesting to step in the foot after, and has been there for so long. I mean, she helped found the foundation and everything. So it's cool to learn from her because she's so involved in she knows so many people in that community. So it's great to learn from her and just kind of take over in her footsteps, then, like you said, it's fun to start those new ideas, too.

 

James Bell 

Yeah. And we're going to talk about some of the new stuff that this launched here in the are launching recent or soon. But before we get there, I wonder if you want to talk a little bit about just kind of the overall center for life experiences mission and what you guys do down there.

 

Darian Schlegel 

Yeah, so CFR li focuses on helping people basically grieve and heal and talk about their daily struggles. It's a place where people can come and connect with others who have experienced similar experiences. We're all about just forming that support for other people, because a lot of people just don't have that support system around. So we're there to make that happen. Very

 

James Bell 

cool. And for my understanding, I've never been affiliated with the groups, but just the years of talking with and it's a very informal, it's not not a counseling session, per se, it's, as you say, it's just it's a, it's something to help you get through the process and with others, that have also been through it. Yeah,

 

Darian Schlegel 

yeah, it's a very informal process. We have groups in the evenings, healing after loss, healing after loss of suicide, and then Healing Hearts. And there's three separate support groups where people can come and just talk about their struggles and learn from other's experiences and just feel like they have a connection somewhere with somebody because a lot of time family members don't really know what to say, especially if they haven't experienced that grief themselves. So that's a place where people can really just be surrounded by others who have the same experience.

 

James Bell 

Yeah, know what those groups, those groups that you've kind of inherited. are the timings in the day, same, the same on those meetings. Are those been adjusted

 

Darian Schlegel 

yet, so they stay the same? Every month. So Healing Hearts, meets the first Thursday of every month and healing after loss meets the first and third Tuesday every month. And then halos, which is healing after loss of suicide meets the first and third Wednesday of every month.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. Just still have the calendar on the website. Yes. Okay. CFE. hope.org. Yes. Okay. Cool. I was hoping I remembered that right. Very cool. Well, then, let's move on. And let's talk about some of these new things that are coming up. The first one I think we want to hit on a little bit is the John C lecture series. What is this?

 

Darian Schlegel 

So the John C Lecture Series is where cflc brings in a speaker every so often to talk about different mental health topics and stuff like that. So for the Jhansi lecture series this month, it's happening in September 22. At the beach Smith are performing arts center on campus at Fort Hays, it's from six to nine. And they will be talking about suicide awareness and stigma that surrounds suicide. And they are bringing somebody in from Arts Otsuka and It's hard to pronounce. And they will be talking about this. And they partner with psych u, which is an amazing resource for mental health as

 

James Bell 

well. Very cool. People are interested, do they need to sign up in advance? Or is any sort of fee on this? Or is it just come and go with it?

 

Darian Schlegel 

Nope, it's just a come and go. We really encourage people, the community come, just learning here about suicide and stigma, because it's something we want to talk about. It is increasing in all of the population. So it's really important to know how to talk to somebody and learn about it, and how to combat the stigma surrounding it.

 

James Bell 

Absolutely. Okay, and I have for my understand you've got some other new groups. I don't have them in front of me, but other new groups that are starting up, right?

 

Darian Schlegel 

Yes, yeah. So we have what we call a support series. And so it's going to be roughly six to eight weeks of different groups. So the first one we're starting is called Fostering Connections. And this is going to be a six week group starting September 26, at five o'clock, where children the age 10, to 18 can come and really just talk about their life experiences children with experience with the foster care system. That way, they have somebody to talk to who have been in similar situations. And just so that they can talk to other kids who have had had the same experience. And then our next group is called the CF le book circle. And this is another four to six week group that's going to alternate every month with different topics. And our first book is gained something, it focuses around divorce. So anyone going through divorce, or who has already gone through it, and just want to be around other people who have the same experiences, again, can read the book and learn some things and all of that good stuff.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. You know, I think about, you know, traumatic life events like that sometimes I think are even more harder to deal with than the loss of a loved one, just because it's, there is no loss, it's you know, that you're losing the relationship, but not losing the person. And that adds a whole nother layer of complexity to

 

Darian Schlegel 

1. Exactly, exactly. And I think cflc is wanting to talk about all the different types of grief, there are different branches. And like you said, you're losing that part of your life that you had a huge connection with. And so we'll be able to talk about that as well.

 

James Bell 

Very cool, very exciting stuff. Is information for those available on the website as well.

 

Darian Schlegel 

Yes, everything's available on the website. And we are updating our website as well. So hopefully in the next coming month or so people will be able to register for different events on there as well. So, so keep a lookout for that.

 

James Bell 

Your website work. Never goes as fast as you want. Right? Yeah. Well, very cool. Well, there's anything else that you think the folks need to know about what's going on down at the Center for life experiences right now.

 

Darian Schlegel 

Um, I just hope that you guys come out and visit us if you ever feel like you just need to talk about your life. We're here for you and we hope to see everyone