On Thursday, March 21st from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Scotch Plains Public Library Here2Help will present “Talking to your Teen about Stress: How Parents can Restore Calm”. Debra Ferro, MFT, from Resolve Community Counseling Center will guide the panel of experts and provide parents and caregivers with strategies to support their children. Liz Knodel-Gordon, the Student Assistance Counselor for Scotch Plains Fanwood Schools, and Breanna Willard from the Dhammakaya International Meditation Center in Scotch Plains will participate on the panel. Like adults, adolescents may experience anxiety as a normal reaction to stress. But how can you tell if the anxiety your child is experiencing is outside the “norm?” Learn how to spot the signs (which may be subtle), how you can help your adolescent and when you should seek professional help.

The library presentations are free.

Please register for the event here.

See attached document for info on yoga and meditation sessions!

​YWCA Union County provides training opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of domestic violence, as well as to encourage and empower service providers and the community to appropriately respond to domestic violence within their particular professional role. Our goal is to provide professionals, community organizations, and community institutions with access to quality training and continuing education in the dynamics of domestic violence and coordinating community responses. Sessions include lecture, discussion, as well as case practice.

Download the file below for more information.

The Union County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) invites area residents to join its "Circle of Friends" for a free informal evening of discussion.

We will have two separate groups in different rooms. One group will be for those who have a loved one diagnosed with a mental illness and the second group will be for those who are diagnosed with a mental illness.

For group one, those who have a loved one diagnosed with a mental illness, our panel will consist of Joyce Benz, LCSW, Director of the Intensive Family Support Services of the Mental Health Association in NJ, as moderator along with four members from the NAMI Union County Board. The panel will explore various topics affecting persons with mental illness and offer insight from their own experiences in dealing with the mental illness of their family member. Bring questions and concerns.

For group two, those who are diagnosed with a mental illness, the facilitator will be John Gesumaria, who is certified as an In Our Own Voice presenter and represents NAMI Union County at the Crisis Intervention Training program at the Union County Police Academy. This is a first for our affiliate. Our Family to Family classes have suggested we include this format for our loved ones with mental illness. We hope our members will bring their loved ones to participate in their own group.

This is an opportunity for information sharing with others who have a common interest. The format is relaxed and audience participation is welcomed. If you’d like to learn more about mental illness, please join our discussion. There is no charge. Our information and friendship are priceless - and free.

A free copy of our Resource Guide – Help in Navigating the Mental Health System in Union County, and other handouts and literature will be available to attendees. Snacks will be provided.

The program begins at 7:30p.m. at the RWJ Rahway Fitness & Wellness Center, 2120 Lamberts Mill Rd, Scotch Plains. Call 908-233-1628 or email at namiunioncounty@yahoo.com for information, or in the event of inclement weather. 

r the second installment of the Here2Help library series, we will be talking about teen stress. Like adults, adolescents may experience anxiety as a normal reaction to stress. But how can you tell if the anxiety your child is experiencing is outside the “norm?” Learn how to spot the signs (which may be subtle), how you can help your adolescent and when you should seek professional help. Signs of anxiety can include: emotional changes, social changes, physical changes, sleep disturbance, changes in school performance, and/or panic attacks.
Date: Wednesday, February 20
Time: 6:30-7:45pm
​Location: Scotch Plains Public Library
Presenters: Debra Ferro, MFT & Lidia Abrams, PhD, Resolve Community Counseling Center
Breanna Willard, Dhammakaya International Meditation Center

Pre-registration is preferred.

The first presentation will be held on Thursday, January 17 from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Westfield Public
Library. Entitled “This is Your Brain on Phones: Smartphone Overuse”, presenters Sean Foley of
Prevention Links, Kim Schumacher, Guidance Counselor at Roosevelt Intermediate School and Marc
Herzog from Papa Bear Digital Production will discuss the effects of smartphones on individuals and
what we can do to protect ourselves and our families. Broken into three sections, the presentation will
focus on how the current technological revolution effects our psychological behavior and neurological
systems; how screen time has changed how we think, act, react, learn and absorb information; and the
best practices for smartphone use from a health and well-being perspective.
The library presentations are free. Pre-registration is preferred.
For more information on Here 2 Help, please contact Bonnie Cohen, bcohen@westfieldynj.org, 908-301-
9622 x240 or Tracy Crane, tcrane@fspymca.org, 908-889-8880 x116.

Date: December 1st and 2nd
Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm
​Imagine

Date: November 14, 2018
Time: 6pm to 10pm
First United Methodist Church