“Talk. They Hear You.”® Celebrates 10 Years of Preventing Underage Substance Use
By: CAPT Christopher Jones, Pharm.D., Dr.P.H., M.P.H., Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA
This year, “Talk. They Hear You.”® celebrates its 10th anniversary. SAMHSA’s national prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and other substance use.
The campaign offers free tools:
- A mobile app
- Screen4Success ― a 10-minute online screening tool to better understand your child’s health, wellness, and well-being (and find resources to address their needs)
- “What Parents are Saying” podcast
- “Parents’ Night Out” educational session toolkits
- Discussion starter videos (and guides)
- Public Service Announcements (PSAs) ― for TV, radio, and print
- E-newsletter
- Other resources for parents and caregivers, schools, and communities, including products in Spanish
Managing the Seemingly Inevitable Holiday Season Stress
From Very Well Mind
Welcome to the holiday season—that whirlwind of gift-giving holidays, marketing blitzes, holiday parties, and activities galore that begins right after Halloween, builds to Thanksgiving and continues gaining momentum through the end of the year. While this season is meant to bring feelings of love and cheer, it’s also the harbinger of holiday stress for many. Read more.
Facts About Fentanyl
Wyatt’s Story: A Message on Fentanyl
With his big and shining personality, 23-year-old Wyatt Williamson lit up every room he entered. “Wyatt really didn’t know a stranger,” his mother, Julie Hofmans, said. “Everybody loved Wyatt. He was my best friend.” Wyatt tragically passed away at age 23 after taking a pill he thought was Xanax, but was actually laced with the powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl. By sharing Wyatt’s story, Julie hopes to save other families from tragedy and heartache. “Are you willing to take a chance with your life … to take a pill and you don’t know where it came from?”
Volunteer Opportunities
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at awesome nonprofits throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties. To view these opportunities, please check out Volunteer New York!
Yorktown Leos Club
Leadership, Experience, Opportunity! The Yorktown Leos are a community service club for people ages 12-25 willing to help others in the community. They host and participate in a variety of fun and collaborative events. The Yorktown Leos Club has been helping the Yorktown community for over 25 years and to learn how to get involved, click here.
Upcoming Events
November 16: Virtual Naloxone Training
Naloxone is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking heroin or other opioids in the nervous system for 30-90 minutes. Naloxone is administered by injection or intranasal. Following training, participants receive a kit by mail. Presented by our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Register by email: ssal@drugcrisisinourbackyard.com
November 20: Introduction to Children’s Mental Health
Mentally healthy children are able to reach developmental & emotional milestones, have positive social skills, and cope with problems in healthy ways. One of the most important ways we can strengthen children’s mental health is by recognizing when children need support. Register here.
November 22: Holiday Stress & Self-Care
The “most wonderful time of the year” doesn’t always feel that wonderful. Demands on our time and energy often leave us feeling tired, disappointed, and depressed. Learn effective strategies to manage holiday stress, prioritize self-care, and get the support you need in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist. Register here.
Weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups
From our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups, held virtually every Tuesday and Wednesday via Zoom. Spotlight on Recovery is a Family Educational and Support Group for families struggling with a loved one misusing substances. For more information, click here.
The Parent Support Network
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 (ages 1 -25) through confidential, peer-to-peer meetings. For a list of upcoming virtual meetings, click here.
NAMI Westchester
The families and members of NAMI Westchester are here to help! They offer understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses and the treatment of mental illness. To view their calendar, click here.
Westchester Breathes is an ongoing program offered by the Westchester Library System offering an experience of gentle movement, breathing and relaxation exercises that reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of calm and well-being. These exercises are simple and evidence-based – which is to say …they work! They are free and on Zoom. Register here.