Nov. 20, 2024, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC) is pleased to announce that Tara Jones recently completed Positivity and Relaxation Training (PART) provider certification through the esteemed Benson-Henry Institute (BHI). This achievement makes her the only certified provider of this program in Georgia.

“The prestigious Benson-Henry Institute recognizes that stress is a major cause of illness and looks at the mind-body connection, or self-care, as the ‘third leg’ in treatment, along with medicine and surgery,” said Lizann Roberts, CGIC’s executive director. 

Serving as Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council’s (CCSNPC) Resilience Enhancement and Learning (REAL) Program manager and as a CGIC project coordinator, Jones facilitates programs in resilience for the Savannah Police Department, City of Savannah, and other organizations. In addition, she uses data to drive her work in developing wellness programs. 

“Tara is an engaged community advocate with multiple organizations in the Savannah region,” said Roberts. “She works with Resilient Coastal Georgia, a regional collaboration of Resilient Georgia, to build trauma resilience in our community by integrating trauma-informed practices, addressing systemic issues, and fostering a culture that understands and responds effectively to the impacts of trauma.”

In further recognition of her work, in particular the success of a pilot program focused on addictive disease recovery patients which she spearheaded in collaboration with Gateway Community Service Board at its Magnolia Clinic, Jones received an invitation from Dr. Gregory Fricchione, director of BHI, to speak at the Herbert Benson Mind-Body Medicine Conference at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, held earlier this fall. 

“This opportunity allowed Tara to share the groundbreaking work of Resilient Coastal Georgia and the Safety and Resilience programs in our community with an international audience,” said Vira Salzburn, executive director, CCSNPC.

 For more information about the REAL training program, visit www.chathamsafetynet.org or email [email protected].