New resiliency pilot program from a nonprofit expands to USF students

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Sarasota mental health nonprofit, Sunshine from Darkness, is expanding its services to local college students in the Manatee-Sarasota area.

The organization started a pilot Youth Resiliency Program last year for middle schoolers, and has now partnered with the University of South Florida (USF) Sarasota-Manatee to offer mental health services in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes.

“So instead of, like, thinking about what’s bothering me, I’m thinking about, like, squeezing the Play-Doh,” Kathy Porcelly said.

Porcelly is a junior at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus, majoring in elementary education. While college can often be stressful, Porcelly also has generalized anxiety disorder.

“So it’s like just minor things that might not bother other people, tend to bother me. Or, I just overthink little conversations throughout the day or things I possibly did wrong,” she explained.

But she didn’t learn these new exercises on her own. She had some help from a licensed psychologist during a pilot program that worked with 17 USF students. It was started by the nonprofit Sunshine from Darkness, which partnered with USF to help improve students’ mental health.

Moving Play-Doh around is one way Porcelly reduces stress.

Marlene Hauck, the executive director for Sunshine from Darkness, said, “Each of the college students will learn their own way to cope, their own way to develop resilience. What we’re looking for also is to be able to help them move forward.”

The pilot program began in April and included four one-hour sessions that focused on breathing exercises and tactile activities. Already, Porcelly says it helps her every day.

“It gave me different strategies on how to deal with my stress and then my anxiety — activities that I wouldn’t think of myself,” she said.

Now, as Porcelly continues her college education, she hopes she can incorporate what she’s learned and pass it on to her own students when she becomes a teacher.

Sunshine from Darkness is starting another pilot program this fall. They plan to implement virtual reality technology at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus in that program.

“USF College of Education at Sarasota-Manatee’s partnership with Sunshine from Darkness and Herrera Psychology is timely and innovative as we work together to support the resiliency of our university students. This is important, timely work and we are thrilled to have this partnership available for our students,” the school said in a statement.

“USF College of Education at Sarasota-Manatee’s Collaboratory is a transformative and innovative space that focuses on human-centered design. Supporting education, the community, and innovative thinking, the tech space is a hub for dynamic change,” it continued.