For Immediate Release

NOTICE OF COMMUNITY EVENT

Host: Monmouth County Partnership for Wellness

Contact: Dr. MaryJane Garibay – garibay@coltsneckschools.org

Re: Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness Symposium on Mental Health & Wellness 2019

Location of Event: Brookdale Community College: Student Life Center, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, N.J. 07738

Time: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Twitter: Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness - @MCSPWellness #BeYouBeWell

Monmouth County, New Jersey: On Thursday, October 3, 2019, the Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness (MCSPW) will be hosting its first mental health and wellness symposium at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. The event is from 6:00 PM-9:00 PM in the Student Life Center on the Lincroft Campus. This event is open to the public but is specifically designed to provide parents/guardians of school-aged children with information and resources available in Monmouth County to support child and adolescent mental health and wellness.

The Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness (MCSPW) is a volunteer consortium of public school districts created to promote mental health and well-being for school community members. Through collaboration with member districts, the Monmouth County Partnership for Wellness strives to enhance awareness regarding mental health and well-being topics, cultivate empathy for individuals who struggle with various types of mental health conditions, and engage school community members in this important work. The goal of this partnership is to share rich, appropriate resources in order to help communities develop timely, sustainable, and systemic initiatives focused on creating stigma-free, inclusive and supportive environments. The MCSPW understands that when individuals receive the care, support, and safety they deserve along with access to sources of resiliency, people are empowered to lead more productive lives as learners and as citizens.

This free event for parents/guardians is being sponsored by the Ocean First Foundation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Monmouth County Education Association, Public Consulting Group, Effective School Solutions and Monmouth County Freeholders.

The evening will begin with a keynote presentation by Alisha De Lorenzo, Interim Deputy Director at Garden State Equality. Delorenzo, a licensed professional counselor trained in integrative mental health model, specializes in working with LGBTQ individuals and their families, trauma, grief, and mental illness. After the keynote presentation, attendees will be able to attend a session of their choice on the following topics:

Mindy Altschul Carrier Clinic Topic: Stress & Anxiety	Ashley Chiappano Garden State Equality Topic: LGBTQ
Danielle Conforti Colts Neck Schools/ mindfulschools.org Topic: Mindfulness	Nicki Francis Wellspring Prevention Topic: Social Media and Substance Abuse
George Scott Topic: Trauma	Wendy Sefcik New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council Topic: Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide
Susan Tellone Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide Topic: Raising Resilient Kids

In addition to speakers and breakout sessions, parents/guardians will be able to speak with numerous mental health service representatives who provide services in Monmouth County. The following organizations will be present for the event.

For more information, please follow the Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness (MCSPW) on Twitter (@MCSPWellness) and Facebook (Monmouth County Schools Partnership for Wellness) or reach out to your local school Superintendent!