Save the Date for the Support Network’s Annual Children’s Mental Health Week Dinner

Save the Date for the Support Network’s Annual Children’s Mental Health Week Dinner

When You Worry about the Child You Love:  Emotional and Learning Challenges in Children

The Support Network announces annual children’s mental health week dinner

Holyoke May 5, 2016:  The Support Network, a program of the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium, is pleased to announce its upcoming annual dinner in recognition of the national Children’s Mental Health Week.  This year The Support Network will be hosting an internationally known guest speaker, Dr. Ned Hallowell, speaking on the topic “When You Worry about the Child You Love:  Emotional and Learning Challenges in Children” based on his book of the same title.  Dr. Hallowell is a child and adult psychiatrist, a former instructor at Harvard Medical School, a New York Times best-selling author, a world-renowned speaker and a leading authority in the field of ADHD.  He is also the founder of the Hallowell Centers in Boston, New York, California and Washington.  www.drhallowell.com.

Ned Hallowell speaker at SN event

The dinner brings together parents, caregivers, professionals and community members all who have a vested interest in the social and emotional health of the children in our lives and in our neighborhoods, and highlights the need for more public services for them.  “There is significant impact when people come together to show their dedicated concern about children’s healthy emotional development and to demonstrate their united support of each other and the children.  We find that bringing parents together who have lived experience creates an alliance and strong advocates for children’s rights” said Carol Lambert, Director of the Support Network.    The Support Network directly supports the mission of the Consortium:  The Western Massachusetts Training Consortium is a learning organization, committed to creating condition in which people with lived experience pursue their dreams and strengthen our communities through full participation.

The Annual Children’s Mental Health Week dinner will be held on Thursday, May 5, 2016 from 5:30-8:00 PM at the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Street, Holyoke, MA.  Registration information for the event will be available late March.  For more information contact Carol Lambert at 413-536-2401 ext. 3007 or [email protected] or see www.childrensemotionalhealth.org to learn more about The Support Network.

People’s Medicine Project aids recovery through alternative medicine

People’s Medicine Project aids recovery through alternative medicine

GREENFIELD — Recovering from an addiction to alcohol or drugs is by no means a comfortable process. Just ask Kaitlyn John, a staff member at the RECOVER Project on Federal Street, which offers peer support for people recovering from substance abuse problems.

When she began her own journey toward recovery three and a half years ago, her body was in revolt. Coming off of an addiction to pain pills, she had problems with digestion, with sleeping, and many other symptoms — physically, mentally and spiritually.

“I wanted to have a comfort in my body, to just feel at one with my body,” John said. “It took me so long to get into recovery, to find recovery, and then to have all these internal things going on and to not feel comfortable in my own skin … that wasn’t OK with me.”

Through her involvement with the RECOVER Project, she was able to meet Leslie Chaison, a local herbalist who runs the People’s Medicine Project, a free alternative medicine clinic held on Mondays from noon to 4 p.m. in the RECOVER Project’s large back room.

The project offers alternative medicine in the form of herbalism, acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, craniosacral therapy and energy healing sessions, and John said taking part in it made all the difference in her recovery process…

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