Kids in Crisis Hosts First Annual TeenTalk Summit

This announcement was submitted by Madeleine Marecki and posted by Editor Barbara Heins.

The state of mental health resources – and the critical need for them - in the region’s schools was the focus of the first annual “TeenTalk Summit,” held at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford on July 10. A distinguished five-member panel, including Dr. Alan Barry and Stuart Adelberg of Greenwich, spoke of the need for renewed awareness and commitment to developing mental health counseling and resources for young people on the local level.

The panel discussed the importance of embracing a holistic view when helping children and families. Such comprehensive support is critical in helping young people succeed in school and in the community. Members of the panel spoke on the benefits of TeenTalk, a Kids in Crisis program that places trained counselors in area middle and high schools. These counselors provide a confidential support system for students dealing with the wide range of issues that arise in adolescence. A standing-room only crowd of area town officials and school leaders were in attendance.

Barry, Director of Social Services of Greenwich, and Adelberg, President of the United Way of Greenwich, were joined by mental health experts and local leaders, including:  Suzanne Koroshetz, Principal of Brien McMahon High School; Dr. Jill Barron, President of the Connecticut Council of Child and Adolsecent Psyciatry and Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Rudy Marconi, First Selectman of the Town of Ridgefield; and Tony Pavia, Principal of Trinity Catholic High School and member of the Kids in Crisis Board of Directors, who served as moderator.

Area schools interested in introducing the TeenTalk program into their curriculum can contact Denise Qualey, Managing Director, Crisis and Clinical Services at Kids in Crisis, at (203) 622-6556.

Kids in Crisis (www.kidsincrisis.org) is Connecticut’s only free, round-the-clock agency providing emergency shelter, crisis counseling and community educational programs for children of all ages and families dealing with a wide range of crises – domestic violence, mental health and family problems, substance abuse, economic difficulties and more.  Since its founding in 1978, Kids in Crisis has helped more than 112,000 Connecticut children and families; last year, 5,913 children and families received assistance from the organization.