LAURENS — A nationally known expert on suicide and its impact on family and friends will be the speaker at the meeting of National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) of Laurens County at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the Christian Life Center of Clinton’s First Presbyterian Church.
Dr. David Cox is the co-author, with Candy Arrington, of Aftershock: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide. In addition he has been featured on Dennis Rainey’s radio program, “Family Life Today” and on the television shows “Helpline” with Dr. Morris Cerullo and “Time for Hope” with Dr. Freda Crews. Since 2002 his has been the host of his own radio program, “Life Matters.”
Cox served as an expert witness in the Susan Smith murder trial in Union in 1995, giving testimony regarding the affects of suicide on surviving children. The BBC interviewed him for a suicide documentary after the Susan Smith case.
Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Cox was the subject of an article on Family.org (Focus On The Family) concerning how to talk to children about tragedy. On the one year anniversary, the article entitled, “Help Children Cope,” was reprinted in the Focus on the Family magazine. He also provided services in the aftermath of the shootings on the Virginia Tech campus in April 2007.
An ordained minister, Cox was trained at Wofford College and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary from which he received the Doctor of Ministry degree. In addition he completed a two-year clinical residency as a hospital chaplain and a three-year pastoral internship in pastoral counseling.
Cox has a pastoral counseling practice in Spartanburg and is a Christian Life Coach.
The educational meeting, at which Cox will speak, is free and open to the public.
Prior to the open meeting, two confidential support groups will meet. The Family Support Group is for family members and care givers of persons with persistent and severe brain disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression and the like. This support group will meet at 6 p.m., also in the CLC Building at First Presbyterian in Clinton.
Also meeting at 6 p.m. is NAMI Connection, a recovery support group for persons who are themselves confronting the daily challenges of living with a mental illness.
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots organization striving to make life better for all those who are affected by mental illness. The Laurens County affiliate of NAMI is one of over a thousand local groups in the United States and Canada.
For additional information on NAMI please call 864-998-3551.
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