iASK-CAB Notes

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and there’s no better time than now to start making mental health a priority.

Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable. People experiencing mental health challenges deserve support, compassion, and care—not stigma and shame.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step. Here are a few important mental health resources:

• NAMI Westchester

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Youth Mental Health Project

If you or someone you know is in crisis, text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained Crisis Counselor 24/7 at the Crisis Text Line or call/text 988 to reach a local crisis center through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Irvington Middle and High School celebrated national Red Ribbon Week from October 24th- 28th.  Each year, Red Ribbon Week provides us with an opportunity to renew our commitment to a healthy and drug-free lifestyle, and to show our dedication to education and prevention efforts in our schools and community.

The Irvington Middle and High School Campus was decorated with Red Ribbons, Red Ribbons were distributed to all students, faculty, and staff, and there were events throughout the week.

“PARENTS” are defined as any adult caregiver, including but not limited to parents, guardians, grandparents, foster or step-parents of a child under the age of 25 who has or is struggling with his or her mental health.

Meetings are confidential, free and open to any parent or guardian who is concerned about their kids (ages 1 – 25) who struggle with anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, or other emotional, behavioral or mental health problems

Mindspring provides free mental health education opportunities to the public through webinars on a wide variety of mental health topics. Webinars are hosted every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12:00pm-1:00pm CST.

Whenever a child presents new behavior, especially if it seems unusual or out of character, parents take notice. This happens throughout life, but we know that parents are on highest alert when their kids start being exposed to — or even start experimenting with — drugs and alcohol.

To help parents get better answers to their questions about their children’s behavior at this critical time, Partnership to End Addiction has created a risk assessment tool designed to help parents identify factors such as school connectedness, mental health, risk-taking, impulsivity, and others that could lead to increased risk for developing addiction or substance use disorder.

Everyone who completes the assessment receives a report highlighting their child’s risk factors along with resources that they can use to mitigate those potential risks.

Ending addiction requires a multifaceted, and often customized approach and one of the most effective ways to prevent addiction is to address issues and challenges before they become problems. This new risk assessment tool can help parents do exactly that.

Join the Irvington About Safe Kids – Community Advisory Board coalition for a presentation of Irvington student survey results investigating drug and alcohol use and perceptions among our youth. In conjunction, a panel of local experts will discuss associated social, legal, mental health and medical concerns.

The Parent Support Network™ is a program of The Youth Mental Health Project that seeks to provide support for parents and guardians who are concerned about the mental health of their children through confidential, peer-to-peer meetings.

Parents and guardians need support to navigate the challenges that arise when raising kids who struggle with their mental health. By sharing experiences and personal stories, parents will connect with each other and gather strength from the knowledge that they are not alone.

Basics of parent support meetings:

• Meetings are confidential, free and open to any parent or guardian who is concerned about their kids (ages 1 – 25) who struggle with anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, or other emotional, behavioral or mental health problems;
• A child does NOT need to have a diagnosis for a parent to benefit from meetings;
• Meetings are organized and led by a trained Facilitator who is a parent or caregiver with lived experience raising a child with a mental health condition;
• While the dialogue among parents is facilitated, the content is driven by the needs of the parents in attendance;
• Parents work together to share experiences and resources. Parents also work together to gather a reliable and vetted list of invaluable community and regional resources to help each other and to enable other families to seek and find the help they need. Vetted for parents and by parents, there is no better resource than a referral from someone who shares your experience.

Check their website for a list of meeting dates and times.