Event Details

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Safeguarding Mental Health in the Fieldwork Environment: Practical Methods That Work [Foundational Skills]

When: May 14, 2024 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: RPA-certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


Stephen Dan Humphreys, PhD, RPA

Dr. Humphreys founded American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR), a 501c3 nonprofit, in 2016. AVAR provides American military veterans and service personnel with the opportunity and training to carry out archaeological fieldwork in a way that improves their mental health. Many of the individuals who have participated in the program have diagnosed mental health-related disabilities and as a result, the program has continuously adapted to better serve this population. He holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from Durham University (2020) as well as an MA in Archaeology and Biblical Studies and an MA in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a National Geographic Explorer with excavation experience in Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Sicily, and the USA.
This seminar will provide practical measures that field excavation directors can implement with minimal additional financial commitment in order to better safeguard the mental health of project participants. The information presented is research-based, and the suggested measures have been gathered, implemented, and refined by American Veterans Archaeological Recovery in their work with military veterans and civilian students since the program's inception in 2016.
  1. Understand the commonality of mental health issues in the fieldwork environment, and the need for change
  2. Identify elements of the fieldwork environment that are potentially damaging to the mental health of all participants
  3. Recognize reasonable, practical methods that can be implemented on field projects to mitigate or eliminate elements of the fieldwork environment that negatively impact mental health