September at ASK

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Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness on this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. It is important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.

Informational Resources

Crisis Resources

  • If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call 911 immediately.
  • If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide Crisis Hotline at 988
  • If you’re uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.

8 Evidence-Based Tips to Help Teenagers Get Back in the School Routine

(Source: Newport Academy)

Teenagers react to structure in different ways. Many thrive on it and look forward to the start of the school year. For some, letting go of summer’s spontaneity is especially hard. Planning for the transition back to school makes the experience smoother for everyone.

Read More

A Breathing Practice to Reduce School Stress

Doing this practice once a day, or whenever they feel anxious, can be a helpful back-to-school tip for kids of any age.

Square Breathing Exercise

  1. Sit comfortably in a chair, with your feet on the floor and hands in your lap.
  2. Inhale slowly through the nose for a count of four, allowing the air to fill your belly.
  3. Hold the breath in for a count of four.
  4. Exhale slowly through the mouth for a count of four.
  5. As you breathe, visualize a healing blue or white light washing over your body. Finally, hold the breath for a count of four.
  6. Repeat the sequence for four minutes.
  7. Ideally, repeat the exercise for four minutes, four times a day.
  8. Consequently, practicing Square Breathing several times daily will help teens become calmer and more relaxed.

Facts About Fentanyl

A Parent’s Guide For Discussing Fentanyl With Kids

(Heather Hugelmeyer, LCSW, Director of Behavioral Health, Northwell Garden City Treatment Center)

Talking with your kids about drugs is a conversation no parent looks forward to having, but it’s also an essential one. And that’s especially true today because of the dangers of fentanyl—an extremely potent synthetic opioid that’s been linked to the majority of overdose drugs in the U.S. today.  Here’s everything you need to know so you can talk to your kids about fentanyl.

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!

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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.

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.

September 6 – Family Reactions to Mental Illness

Understanding why people experience things differently can help to ease tension & increase acceptance. Discuss the caregiving experience, the stages of emotional response, and learn how to respond and cope in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist.

Register here. 

September 7 – Drug Overdose Awareness Memorial Dedication

Please join the community on 9/7 at 6pm as we dedicate the Drug Epidemic Awareness Memorial. The memorial fence will serve as a reminder for our community about the tragic realities of addiction as well as being a place of solace for those that are mourning a loved one who succumbed to this terrible disease.

Yorktown Patriot Skate Park, 341 Underhill Avenue, Yorktown Heights

September 12 – Peer to Peer Suicide Prevention

According to the CDC, 4 out of 5 teens considering suicide show some signs of their intentions whether it be verbal or behavioral. This is why The Hope Squad is dedicated to training teens to recognize those signs and provide peers with the help and tools they need when they are at their most vulnerable. Register here.

September 21 – 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

September 26- Making the Internet Safe 

Discover how to protect your family from your biggest technology concerns like malware, inappropriate content, and the time spent on technology. Register here.

September 30 – 5K Run for Recovery

Support ASK – Prevention, Recovery and Treatment by Registering or Donating Today! 

October 21: Invitation to Change Workshop with CRAFT Strategies

CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) presented by Center for Motivation and Change and our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Learn tools that can give you hope, help a loved one move away from substance use and apply better techniques to help you take care of yourself. Excellent workshop for anyone hoping to influence change in a loved one’s behavior. Register here.