On Monday, Purdue Northwest hosted renowned psychologist Dr. Bruce Perry to give a lecture for the university’s annual One Book, One University program. Perry co-authored with Oprah Winfrey on this year’s book for the program, “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing.” The university purchased 2,800 copies of the book for students, faculty, and staff.
“This to me was the perfect book,” said Dr. Amanda Zelechoski, professor of psychology and director of clinical training. “I've studied Dr. Perry’s work and worked with him for many years. I just knew this would be a great book for our campus, our students, faculty, and staff.”
One of the key takeaways from Perry’s lecture was that by understanding the brain we will be better equipped to deal with mental health and our interactions with each other.
“I feel fortunate that I've had this opportunity, and I really do think that what's happening here at this university is incredibly unique because it's so intentional,” said Perry. “It's so focused on what I think are the right things to focus on — building community and trying to make a better world, and doing that in ways that are respectful, thoughtful and deliberate.”
During the pandemic, people went through adversity that required healing and resilience. At Purdue Northwest, there is an effort to build stronger connections and a sense of community.
“One of the most important things I think comes out of Dr. Perry's work is this idea that it's all about connectedness and the sense of belonging,” said Zelechoski. “A college campus is a really important place to feel like you belong. It is going to help you learn better, and it is going to help you be more successful and thrive. It feels like a really nice fit to be thinking a lot about connection and increasing our sense of belonging.”
On Sunday, Purdue Northwest hosted Perry at the PNW Sinai Forum on the Westville Campus for over 500 people from the greater region. Monday’s event drew around 300 to 400 people.
“I think it speaks to the power of connection and how much we care about learning to understand ourselves, but also learning to understand each other,” said Zelechoski. “I think it is a topic that really speaks to everybody. We could all stand to learn a bit more about how we work, how we function, and how we can sort of improve our mental health and well-being.”
Some of the attendees included students from East Chicago Central High School, who came in during their fall break to listen to Perry. They also came to get their book copies signed by Perry after the lecture.
“It’s very gratifying when you are writing a book or doing some academic work,” said Perry. “A lot of times you just don't understand whether or not it's going to reach people or what kind of impact that might have. To see that there are people in all walks of life and people at all sorts of levels of training that get something out of it is very gratifying, particularly with these high school students.”
Purdue Northwest has put an emphasis on mental health training, and Monday’s lecture was one such example.
“It is an exciting time for Purdue Northwest to be the mental health training hub of the region,” said Zelechoski. “We have programs in couple and family therapy, mental health counseling, social work, and now a doctoral degree in psychology. We are able to touch all of the various mental health disciplines and provide both unique training, but also interdisciplinary training in really cutting edge ways, including these trauma-informed initiatives.”
For more information about Purdue Northwest’s One Book, One University program, please visit pnw.edu/one-book.
