%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 22 0 R 30 0 R ] /Count 3 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R >> /XObject << /I1 13 0 R /I2 18 0 R /I3 19 0 R /I4 28 0 R /I5 29 0 R /I6 32 0 R /I7 33 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 20 0 R /GS2 21 0 R /GS3 24 0 R /GS4 25 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text /ImageC ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 1.0.2 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20241121193330+00'00') /ModDate (D:20241121193330+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 14 0 R 16 0 R ] /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1589 >> stream xWrF+TsI9򣜊I.إ gXE+%=EaH翇5%G^AUJQnw)4ݘnNA-Pin*EAFswD|]ATt&fΝHWAT''Wnd[^(Rh-+WHY:ys@_[ FtZHtQI~LonXeϸ9F~K dǺ; $`H s^VIǩ޶qd30BIX""Xw\K/tQY{ʵ$opZFVpT/V5/z87f@k,ղ)xq"҃s. fܶ($?v˯s*F8#_aD @AfIёd؂G83V0a4b`H 9pt?VkF+[!ϻnfIDI>*,T)WhQ .!f} oo#v罇+cf|} K|dfuP@'\",dǝXbOؾrEG4RA@tjBٟ%rnwmVޞ1۪!j$Q Qűc'Yk'E-1!$+g)f0q3@Hg5[2Q93rÖ:{0d+9Ga4zZxfaLyO\l歂ր3cp\oR>B0 bapx('>lXs'Ogd:>`%'apqRً ̰=3 X,Iӳ2?U szVR氾x}5G1 ʲyob"yJOO~D endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 13 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 125 /Height 125 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Filter /DCTDecode /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 7050>> stream JFIFC    !'"#%%%),($+!$%$C   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$}}" 8\|.%C4KC#64 ƠnQiYMm5 "TU6Q˓cwxu.n(@+)#Ѝt"Vh2Ze?2(e񛚀jݜ]s)m]4B(\&k"qP@\N滥tjcD$5ՈEV`FΕeh]"5ײ]f SC4'+F@{ɻL8jU}4lByB^Fs_!!"#6yLd 6`Ae>%{j%zUy+ꇸȹs'w J``LF6vou5.Q_+԰Z8q@>\ԣ&@Ri ` czET}i +}1-*WcW @jYң k@ 05TLfttHcLB :l#V3?@UTIe6ԉd*AJ/ %. e,_1t;/N%6)4N7tǔkv4}Vd`OzqZ8-Cw-pȞ(*UPW\m 7\#emY{hu;pp f4:Ậ:7_FsfNyKNг*iuC*x4Ǣ ev2SRO `Y&'QO8v!gfb5ص s@Z@:|n>eY& A 2<+婕 b-ă 5OaGQs?!^Z^䙙ajFDOv/ՉhԣT)&n=+Kca KKݖcu&'(x8+[֪a8M-U F)[ZhIWxilzkPֺd8/8JӀPG$/[:Ofx>Mɹ6 "oL(+2r?UH8Tï;osmf&L 1!Aa?đݝF͜Z=ٱnlK}0Y#w (rrg_r~wԐw[h9o1{Oqs}_mf!!1AQ"?Cbd%oBlY˴,vT1MR*]!N89f1'UrQ*Z>Ŷ~ V$b8Sb58%?CkKc}#f>M7Y]UO7!1"AQa2qBC#3RbScs?W[PH1X|㌻c*k5X-n(g/ ~|p'e; `%LElDsϔ6q g[H[weW0ұ.4:ƘkR^d J{9oɯGC+JJc;;JUaى5PR nYWym\n% Yq,!\/IgwbQ.ו8mj#;"V鲮Xg5eɕӌסHػ9Zz,8Q;UG1.)P\'xEJ>pcDŽzZٝ?:s)jbnҲIϜ+gX.z`mt@Iݝ\d=eıQQf@ˎ{2q.ik>q:NSse^3Ÿ`lצh eYbHyGNk^-&f\ą˂>[o6#wV.@z2RZpqv4s|*8D&Be Nj_^A5"om.?ievb/1VV /3;#12WdiK=v8u9cv.f; Q0x;_˵ynűA;/^L32g2Ó ʵtq0e<qzv yש ;ce3b:8נYڅl;~Ģwd(Oco.ò`9-_3w苟Jm[_9h?a+aᴞ~0+[gjW%XygwGq;>d. #; 2@&\\h{L/>Jw<H0v,ÏS!.ytH($PabNcXAWԐ1R+B QR<"3t138KyºTah\LFQCb_iI7 u7rq6m7W Nc~.U*wK+xUJ +?(% *p`]b2TW_r6PĶ N6c/1tnHp}|CWB;O|#vLF{oyp21; yMVM-;i_Xw] \/ʺBL6;tpVW->VO% Syj]0vU[zA]B4Xs-v @7=zJL#o1(υ+ahx eO)ٕ1qIJ"/56T(\t2xMA(A68Z锱t須n!+M9O! %vaA Z;'Tx ?X9b2vǎ, CkY\R \ʹ CexDժ~$L1BG|dhVT !* BeY,:ՕJӘoʇ(.Q.N޽j? cy%H ~&Sg3ZLb)!s/0Sqܼ4x#tYJl/,V̑`SyB#(3jA\ JcE5\49KQ2L(>?c|[;N %uwtb#TĞ3(q Oyt0eE(`ֶ_xyO (GG@ؚR ZQ5yJUӶ(*k䈭K!!1AQqa?A.7>aoHK f+S/_2(!~ Q/8cB<"6@nai]@2RUҞ5X첍M"Z:Y ;ʸ}B#Fa``^*g vc1 T#lc.JP5w [E\, Jy(cfKK"]Ͽf`ܷ/,Z%OC*pQ2=DU e%.lQh$3#!1AQaq?0a(yw@Dɡ|4ڬF vt"x/h}OTd:I5 ??cèAquP}Q8yق2oQxe<Bt~""$˳xN_ pz͍h$˼OnK+$tDXz_& RHĹ6qT~źJV qJŷ{QRi)F]TI$Af tߜNǰ\=jGqc8ղA#Xy/in,YBjѥ^qf20uSP(I;o4%@P RV3MK5֛Ӝ8бu|g|lLK&\@ul^6Fn9ö`UP;Bz}ZP y,9xwD) V*)(#:0r%/k`ׂw8휶cSRt~b CvknrbN :ו>ZR*6!_3+fbrz~dDlH#\L#SoXc):9s+܂ %]rgmx*5$QűE{h#Sw}͉灇gxP,;IBލoHP@pc| }z`kJ ~w|pШgFE"vwY0M MR ۮ9P(KU!j 2UB*r2j8ǰZ *|HD> Y&DŽxl/[ǧ2q٣U .z+LvxWo`vC-Gو A8՞ r Ri]헺Ne_4FwbvD-)_X)86 `n(ai.I~0'>c }d D_?͈6nuְIy 5"xj8$hU1C 1PU=*"y]*'>c8#o0-K'2/>lP9.G<1-PD:LsNyormN?>QEB|#0y NK 6G~07Q+N-ޢ Y ."kB<#*y pG|b% Sw `H8dΩqi{Po/ֽWX >0 7weԄ@!_8m(4at[lw_ܗy84]ܟ:o%m4.:/LDfһ?R;i;߶hC0թ;oÝ{8s,Y&58u,-1M~j<^qO6y?ѵ*2.bTuk׉8Y[VWgxr% ʟY{@ACey՚;!E:qsh((4P-)JQv*&>4aÌoׄT —:V^J^qViȐ/?Gl9{\PhwSLjO2ոz@pͳΪrsQT>pp_,OLrfBYqˣqKtD6>RbSw} FN7Fx=9A Q =q c%,q[vLrŀ<ʲxњ TGuB`>O5V^zLW-9ܽŠR$%ӰknM#:$G(M/Ur d@vۍҷy.~yoj-4 Tq3xddll" )<0sv mwJSZa7ˍaVnT+yKWI endstream endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /A 15 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 434.5040 286.3040 553.8800 298.5140 ] >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/) >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /A 17 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 305.7800 230.3480 442.5080 242.5580 ] >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.laviecounseling.org/) >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 550 /Height 140 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Predictor 15 /Colors 1 /Columns 550 /BitsPerComponent 8>> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 26 0 R ] /Contents 23 0 R >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1863 >> stream xXێF}vM)da$3c1-%vD_쌐|jN5u} u!OU:uZWӖxywuD$IB{f(kmh}yZ4=5vNꥈ%"c9/ cfoFѿŝ]1Ʌt h8 AQ$ο\vw JkOp]r^PQZn9l6(Fm@85{!ZakBaJR1f">cײџU+% t-xՒ7b/[oR#J[p^PB&ܰj+(Xd=WZTK NRWqLL> &Ȑ*߁Xh7x~Bڡg9>;TUjTQcEr5' "#H6 l:X(T3*~# RKs10Qc%oYNV)ЍR-5j-E;Vz1O21c,{~M 6X)}WJU@7x| ],-HI0x=j%C80LI^cqЬu+Rc@ . Ks[*=}>g2p_>(&>Cޝ,!)nËRHY*XGe;ZZ&+иN"'ZgሎlteWۅY70ͼS /DǓV H1*"1@y"QBrڹ!v'4~KF&Åt/*!]c>Ӡp-a$?hVZ6OeӨ:j@0cDž`&c@ V<A`@^{sݣF&$Cy{p<,F[`'Ê0-r[*w(x?ln2}_移F.P%<ifڙ Vcmѱ{/{ajc;Ow` f 4, T婷.j_YC8<Ĩe9cl?;5CUۗ1-W͏,F1#(޷&8Ĩd.';iü˛ xgJqV G-&. . I=v7fl _%m+\/純 yGNq<9ha N|I􌶀„ yT KH"YMQv(c}g"~(\{56yDļ  34O%hg P36#Jԝc*Ѕq ^t>7 fyvs޷Br\OQ/ȯWp { 꺿㙘G_O21Z5~?|Z~Ě_3%y~Q1NN՚23.\_c endstream endobj 24 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 25 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 26 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /A 27 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 35.0000 417.3884 152.3840 429.5984 ] >> endobj 27 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://volunteer.usawest.org/) >> endobj 28 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 550 /Height 140 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Predictor 15 /Colors 1 /Columns 550 /BitsPerComponent 8>> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj 30 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 31 0 R >> endobj 31 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 771 >> stream xώ0}9N$-7$f;8V1d)E+Tlj=7g%EGn>CZA;Q )%\vbY>OV5$B¾}^40Y4:禮&_uWpFys~òxv< =T-O?_Bm3QELN"9/ĮD6Kyƃ"Zc B*eyc5xW|c׵ѩ T9k ّ6Ǔ٤"KcP,ɢ)_EL[X;pY )HOZ [MuKp}4DNc.ma}S+pAbgg)G.a|^W3FZM[ηRGm/g-*)vb' xVfb-tcgOW@1> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj xref 0 34 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000479 00000 n 0000000516 00000 n 0000000665 00000 n 0000000794 00000 n 0000002456 00000 n 0000002563 00000 n 0000002671 00000 n 0000002781 00000 n 0000002894 00000 n 0000002923 00000 n 0000010141 00000 n 0000010269 00000 n 0000010351 00000 n 0000010479 00000 n 0000010563 00000 n 0000016138 00000 n 0000017269 00000 n 0000017328 00000 n 0000017387 00000 n 0000017511 00000 n 0000019448 00000 n 0000019505 00000 n 0000019562 00000 n 0000019689 00000 n 0000019771 00000 n 0000025346 00000 n 0000026477 00000 n 0000026582 00000 n 0000027426 00000 n 0000033001 00000 n trailer << /Size 34 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<713028ea39180042178fe404d4e656f0><713028ea39180042178fe404d4e656f0>] >> startxref 34132 %%EOF Can volunteering ward off depression? | Caring Magazine

Vol. #28

Grace Uncovered

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Volunteer workers

Can volunteering ward off depression?

byHillary Jackson
December 5, 2017
4 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

Studies show maintaining social connection is key when trying to help alleviate symptoms.

When Tessa’s mom died suddenly of a heart attack, she not only lost a companion, whom she spoke with every day, she became the primary caregiver for her dad with dementia.

“I went through a really, really tough time,” she said. “I had to deal with my grief, but I had to deal with his grief, and deal with having my father in a reverse role in my household. All of a sudden I was the parent, he was the child.”

The pain Tessa felt led her to attend a grief group at her church.

“That probably saved my life. I was really in a very, very bad place,” she said. “It made me realize how bad it was.”

After completing the group course, Tessa started volunteering to help others going through grief.

“I do it because it helps me, but I also do it so if I can help one person not go through some of the anguish I went through on any level, then that’s a good thing,” she said.

Tessa’s experience isn’t unusual. According to a recent research project at Exeter Medical School that collated evidence from 40 different studies over the last 20 years, volunteering “had favorable effects on depression, life satisfaction and well-being.”

In her practice, Dr. Andrea Forbes, psychologist at La Vie Counseling Center in Pasadena and Santa Monica, California, has found volunteering to be good for the mind and the soul.

“I think it creates for people a sense of connectedness to greater human community in general, a sense of connectedness to people, to the earth,” Forbes said. “That seems to help people shift focus off of the particular thing that might be causing stress.”

The connection humans crave has long been a recognized factor in maintaining optimum mental health. Conversely, a study from the University of Minnesota found lack of social connection as a cause of depression.

And while volunteering may not be a magical cure-all, it can spark a useful shift in perspective.

“It forces people, at least temporarily, out of sort-of circular kind of depressive thought patterns that go with depression,” Forbes said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 27 percent of American adults volunteer. While the motives behind volunteering vary, studies show most are altruistic, to “give back” to the community or an organization that has supported them. Others volunteer to widen their social circles or to distract from problems in their daily life.

Whatever the reason, maintaining social connection is key when trying to help alleviate symptoms of depression and preventing the condition from becoming overwhelming. And volunteering is high on the list of ways to help keep negative thoughts at bay.

“A big part of depression is feeling like there is nothing worth doing, there is no meaning and excessive guilt,” Forbes said, mentioning common depressive thoughts like, “I’m not worthy” and “I have nothing to offer.” “When someone is depressed they have that experience, so doing something with purpose and meaning counteracts that thought process and that feeling.”

DO GOOD
– Visit volunteer.usawest.org for a list of opportunities in your area.

Yet, Forbes said the kind of volunteering also matters in curbing depression.

“Finding something that somebody has some sort of interest or passion or curiosity in is also key,” she said. “If it’s something that they have no interest in, that they’re doing just because they feel they have to in order to be a worthwhile human being, [it wouldn’t be as beneficial].”

Forbes said many of the mental health benefits of volunteering result from human-to-human interaction.

One woman, in her early 70s, who suffered from back and knee pain that left her unable to work, was isolated, but had the energy to volunteer.

“So we talked a lot about volunteering, and she had a sort of depressive mentality that she had most of her life,” Forbes said. “[When considering volunteering options], there was a reason for it to be ‘no’ or to be not interesting to her, so it took us a while to figure out what could be of interest.”  

Eventually, the client found she enjoyed playing her harp for people in the hospital and she also began coordinating a children’s program through her church.

“[Volunteering] definitely improved her mental health, and that was only probably four hours a week,” Forbes said.

Many find opportunities through the church, but similarly must find the right fit rather than aiming to fulfill a duty.

When Carol’s husband died in 2007, she’d recently moved to Florida and had limited connections, so she started attending church more frequently. When she became involved with the church’s bazaar, a women’s group that made crafts to sell, she started feeling more encouraged.

“It does help to be out among people and it makes you see there’s a life beyond what you had before,” she said.

After noticing books piling up at her local library, she started volunteering there as well. She also took on more projects at her church, and eventually met a widower in the congregation. She invited him out after the service to her lunch group.

“And now I’m wearing a diamond ring,” she said.

Download this page as a PDF

Comments are closed.

You May Also Like