A helping hand in healing: Cedarville’s partnership with a confidential advocate

By Madison Dyer

For many college students, each semester represents an opportunity for a fresh start, where what happened in the past can stay in the past. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. It is because of this that Cedarville University partnered with Violence Free Futures and provided a confidential advocate with a unique opportunity to aid troubled students on their healing journeys. 

Her name is Anna Beckloff, and this is her first academic year as a counselor at Cedarville University. Back in college, she studied social work, and became connected through an internship with Violence Free Futures, a nonprofit organization. Founded in 1979, Violence Free Futures offers services to prevent, end and educate people about violence in relationships. 

“[Violence Free Futures offers] services to the different universities in Greene County,” Beckloff said. “For Cedarville, that’s a lot of things like counseling, and we can do different workshops, and they can provide supportive services as well.” 

Beckloff helps students effectively unpack their pasts, feel safe and assures them that these memories which may greatly embarrass or shame them will not be shared. The whole process of expressing a traumatic experience to a trustable counselor can be the key to working through it, to decompressing.

“Talking about trauma you’ve experienced can be really challenging,” Beckloff said “But it can also be part of the healing process.” 

A certified counselor is not the only person who can listen to these cleansing conversations. Supportive friends can make a huge impact on those suffering with troubling memories or at risk of experiencing something traumatic. 

In the interview, Beckloff explained a few red flags a person could watch out for if they began to think their friend is in a dangerous situation, such as sick nervousness over getting together with a partner or disrespect for peace in the pace of the relationship. 

Domestic violence and sexual assault, while almost impossible to leave behind, do not prevent a person from experiencing newness. With the close of the fall semester approaching with the shifting weather, students are undoubtedly reassessing their lives. They are reviewing their schedules and cycling their clothes and processing everything that has happened to them. With the help of a confidential advocate, or a godly friend, even those who feel trapped in their pasts have the opportunity to make the next semester feel truly new. 

If you are in need, or you know someone who is, you can reach Anna Beckloff at anna.beckloff@violencefreefutures.org, or stop by her office 230b in the Engineering and Science Building on Mondays from 2-5 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Madison Dyer is a Freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student, who grew up in the nearby city of Xenia but now lives with her family just within the Cedarville Township limit! In between various seasonal obsessions, she enjoys drawing fictional characters, playing guitar, and engaging in general shenanigans