Connected Lives Series. The Courage to Connect: Digging New Wells

Class | Registration opens 2/19/2027 8:58 AM EDT

3/12/2027 (one day)
10:00 AM-11:00 AM EDT on Fri
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Connected Lives Series. The Courage to Connect: Digging New Wells

Class | Registration opens 2/19/2027 8:58 AM EDT

Registration deadline:  Mar. 4th 

Connected Lives is a series of lectures exploring how loneliness and isolation have emerged as the most significant public health challenges of our time. This engaging nine-part lecture series explores the science, psychology, and sociology of human connection. Students may sign up for any or all of the courses as desired. Each session is a standalone course.

After exploring the causes and consequences of loneliness, this session shifts toward hope and action. Participants will learn why connection often requires courage, vulnerability, and intentional effort. Drawing from psychological research and practical strategies, this lecture focuses on overcoming barriers to connection and building

Participants will learn to:

• Identify common barriers to meaningful connection.
• Develop strategies for initiating and strengthening relationships.
• Practice skills that foster empathy and belonging.
• Build confidence in creating connections across age groups and diverse communities

    With over 17 years of experience in the mental health field, Thasia Awad is a licensed Master’s Level Clinical Social Worker who provides compassionate, individualized care to individuals and families navigating a wide range of emotional and relational challenges. Her clinical areas of expertise include trauma-informed care, complex trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationship conflict, self-esteem and identity, social-emotional learning, and life skills development.


      

    • About Thasia Awad's Connected Lives Lecture Series

      Connected Lives: Reclaiming the Waters of Human Connection
      The Science and Practice of Human Connection, Finding Community & Purpose in the Age of the Loneliness Epidemic

      Loneliness and isolation has emerged as one of the most significant public health challenges of
      our time. Drawing on the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Epidemic of Loneliness and
      Isolation, this engaging nine-part lecture series explores the science, psychology, and sociology
      of human connection. Through research, storytelling, discussion, and practical application,
      participants will examine how loneliness and isolation affects individuals and communities and
      discover evidence-based strategies for creating deeper relationships and stronger communities.
      Using the timeless story of Oshun as a guiding metaphor, the series invites learners to explore
      what happens when the waters of connection run dry and how they can help restore them.

    Thasia Awad

    With over 17 years of experience in the mental health field, Thasia Awad is a licensed Master’s Level Clinical Social Worker who provides compassionate, individualized care to individuals and families navigating a wide range of emotional and relational challenges. Her clinical areas of expertise include trauma-informed care, complex trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationship conflict, self-esteem and identity, social-emotional learning, and life skills development.