Austin Peay State University to host workshop on working with veteran students and their children

Clarksville, TN – At 6:00pm on October 8th, local educators and community members who work with veterans are invited to attend a special workshop, “Stand In Their Boots: Beyond the Battlefield,” at the Austin Peay State University Morgan University Center.

The program will feature Rebecca Townsend, a senior licensed psychological examiner and licensed professional counselor, discussing ways university and public school teachers and staff members can better serve students who are veterans or the children of active duty service members.

The workshop will focus on the challenges students may be facing due to problems such as emotional difficulties, disruptions in their home life and multiple deployments. The workshop will help educators become aware of how deployments impact students and affect their ability to succeed academically. It also will leave attendees with tools that could heighten retention and graduation rates.

Townsend earned a master’s degree from APSU with a double concentration in clinical psychology and experimental psychology, and she has more than 15 years of experience in the mental health field. She currently serves on the Suicide Prevention Work Group and the Family Resiliency Work Group at Fort Campbell. She is also a member of the Military Affairs Committee for the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce.

In 2007, Townsend founded SAFE: Soldiers and Families Embraced – a non-profit organization to assist in the mental health needs of active duty soldiers, veterans and their family members. In 2013, she began Stand In Their Boots to provide professional development and community awareness seminars on military culture and military mental health care.

For more information on this workshop, please contact the APSU Office of Student Affairs at 931.221.7341.