We recently connected with Venessa Abram and have shared our conversation below.
Venessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
I founded SDp3 in 2018 following the tragic suicide of my veteran brother, Sergeant First Class Randolph Davison in 2016. His passing took a traumatic toll on our entire family, especially me. However, amidst the loss, uncertainty, trauma, and emotional toll, I identified the need for more intervention in the area of suicide prevention and factors that contribute to it. As such, not long after his passing, I founded SDp3, which has improved the mental health and wellbeing of thousands of individuals across the world. By helping others heal, by providing them with support and resources they need, I have experienced my own healing, becoming part of a cause greater than myself. This has resulted in national recognition across the USA, international recognition as far as the Caribbean and Africa, and partnerships with key institutions that champion radical and significant change.
Venessa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. In 2016, my brother Sergeant First Class Randolph Davison became a victim of suicide.
I was devastated and even attempted to take my own life at one point. I was lost, but embarked on a journey of self-discovery that changed the rest of my life.
My trauma led to an unrelenting desire to help others affected by the pain and suffering of losing someone to suicide. I founded Self-Discovery: Pain, Positioning and Purpose, or “SDp3” as a nonprofit organization to provide support and resources to those affected by mental illness, bullying, racism and racial disparity, discrimination, domestic violence, and suicide.
Since our founding just a few years ago, SDp3 has garnered the attention and support of key partners and other organizations across the world. Partnering with organizations such as NAMI, Inspirations Hair Studio, Covenant House, In the Key of Dance, Little Caesars, Mary Hall Freedom House, Nicholas House, Dewlyn Non-Profit Services and more, SDp3 has led and been featured in numerous events and projects aligned with our mission.
Along this journey, I have published award-winning books and anthologies and been featured in articles, journals, talk shows, documentaries, and as a guest speaker. Through continued perseverance and partnerships, SDp3 now provides services to a much larger community that includes veterans, senior citizens, youth/young adults, LGBTQ individuals, and members of communities across America, not just Greater Atlanta.
We provide proven Community Resiliency Model (CRM) workshops, weekly visits to schools, agencies, and organizations to build awareness and education to identify methods that mitigate risk, advocacy/resilience seminars, prevention/postvention and intervention services, 1-on-1 coaching and mentorship, and group coaching. We work hand in hand with key partners to provide viable solutions targeted to specific communities’ needs. We are particularly excited to share that we will soon embark on new key partnerships with AmeriCorps Seniors and Fulton County to augment our offerings for veterans and their family members!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Compassion, patience and understanding. Succeeding in my field means that individuals we serve have more tools to identify symptoms of challenges like stress and depression; that we are attentive to individuals’ needs and provide them with tailor-made solutions to yield the best positive outcomes; and that we provide aid and resources to families and others affected by suicide. The work we do is about PEOPLE. We prioritize their struggles and needs to develop plans that will actually help them. Their success is our success, and in order to achieve that, we must prioritize putting them first. That said, I do believe that my extensive life experience, including losing a loved one to suicide and having my own suicidal thoughts, helps me help others who may be experiencing mental health challenges.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Partnerships & attentiveness. As an organization, we have an internal team that keeps our operations running smoothly. However, in order for us to maximize our impact in the world, partnerships play a critical role in expanding our range of offerings and engaging with new, diverse demographics and communities. We prioritize attentiveness to those we serve, which helps us build our reputation as a dependable and compassionate organization as we continue to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sdp3.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfdiscoveryppp/?fbclid=IwAR0lo2AacklYbXXTtRt2oy-JvfgSi5IiRYjxac_jWAP7lU4_uv2nBQGgQsg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfdiscoveryppp/?eid=ARClarn1–EKSpMwXeBVqw970kOjkvrwZHnPAbz3L3sLKd6HYg3JaRkTxZLGZCR0Srr7guCVasTfN095&timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=1742130527&fref=tag
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selfdiscoverypppinc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDPPPInc?fbclid=IwAR0kPFhfuKB5e4MFByZxtSGWhCWdhHA6nWqZupEzixUJosbmre58xczB_SQ
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkiO7j7zFNJI4sJyope5GPQ/videos?view_as=subscriber
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