{"content":[{"text":"With that in mind, we invited Dr. Tim Clinton to speak \n on mental health and sports ministry in one of our Uplift \n webinars. Dr. Clinton shared his insights on trauma, youth \n mental health and how churches can best approach \n ministering to families and young people struggling \n psychologically in the aftermath of the coronavirus. Here are \n a few of the key points he raised.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.043283,"width":0.42296500000000004,"height":0.12122400000000001}},{"text":"On Dr. Clinton’s view, there are many aspects to building \n the relationships that heal trauma, but six in particular stand \n out. He called them the “six little T’s” of relationships that \n together tackle the “Big T” of trauma. These are: together, \n touch, talk, truth, time and triggers. That may sound like a \n lot, but they all amount to different ways of being present \n and attuned to people. By incorporating the six little T’s into \n how we approach relationships, we can bring the healing \n power of loving kindness into our church ministry to those \n suffering from trauma.","bbox":{"left":0.514706,"top":0.043283,"width":0.421806,"height":0.174255}},{"text":"Trauma \n Everyone from church leaders to sports coaches needs to \n have a clear idea about what trauma is and how it impacts \n people. As Dr. Clinton laid out, one of the best ways to \n understand trauma is to think about the experience of war. \n In war, your frame of reference is shattered; You experience \n extreme circumstances that don’t make normal sense to you. \n When people suffer trauma from war, their sense of safety, \n normalcy and order are permanently changed. Traumatic \n situations rewire the way we experience ourselves and \n forever haunt us with the feeling of getting lost in pain we \n don’t understand.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.191213,"width":0.426023,"height":0.22013800000000003}},{"text":"Here’s how Dr. Clinton proposes putting the six T’s in action. \n Say there is a child suffering from heartache and they can’t \n keep their mind focused on the activity or game. Coaches \n can practice the six T’s by first making themselves present \n to the child, recognizing that something is off. A coach can \n empathize with the child by getting on their level, being \n open and connecting in conversation. The coach can put \n their hand on the child’s shoulder to build trust through \n touch. Asking questions around what’s happening and \n letting them be seen, taking time with them by making sure \n not to rush the process of healing, speak truth into their life, \n and being sensitive to their needs. Be aware of actions or \n words that seem to trigger emotions and responses by the \n child and patiently and gently walk with them through what \n is true to them and their situation. This focused time can be \n invaluable to the felt heartache of the child.","bbox":{"left":0.514706,"top":0.225732,"width":0.42035100000000003,"height":0.28031599999999995}},{"text":"Dr. Clinton shared his experience that COVID-19 is a source \n of trauma for many people today. They don’t feel right in the \n world anymore after losing loved ones or suffering through \n a visit to the ER or after living in fear and frustration for \n months on end.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.419545,"width":0.424715,"height":0.08587099999999998}},{"text":"But trauma doesn’t have to be the final word, and there is an \n antidote to trauma. In Dr. Clinton’s opinion, that antidote is \n relationship.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.513611,"width":0.424813,"height":0.05051699999999992}},{"text":"Dr. Clinton’s message is that relationships built on the six \n T’s can heal hurt people. Whether it’s on or off the sports \n field, we can build relationships with each other that change \n the way we experience ourselves, healing trauma and \n reintroducing the peace of God into the hearts of the hurting.","bbox":{"left":0.514706,"top":0.514242,"width":0.42001599999999994,"height":0.08587100000000003}},{"text":"Youth Mental Health \n Dr. Clinton also highlighted the unique situation of young people during the coronavirus health crisis. We, as adults, \n might be tempted to believe that kids are resilient and that it’s better not to address tough subjects, like the pandemic \n or racism. But the truth is: One of the most underserved populations in the mental health realm are kids. And right now, \n kids need us to be honest (appropriate for their age), engaged listeners, and to see and love them unconditionally.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.655102,"width":0.83634,"height":0.09640000000000004}},{"text":"Coming out of lockdown, kids are frustrated, bored, and lonely. They’ve lost time with their friends, they’ve lost access \n to their activities, and, in some cases, they’ve lost the opportunity to celebrate important lifetime milestones like \n graduation and birthdays.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.759697,"width":0.825246,"height":0.050517000000000034}},{"text":"Dr. Clinton shared that, in order to be sensitive to kids who are struggling, we have to recognize how important identity \n and belonging are to young people. Kids yearn for a place and an opportunity to grow and work and win and be \n recognized. That’s where sports come into play.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.818409,"width":0.8347230000000001,"height":0.05051699999999992}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}