The New Canaan Parent Support Group, in partnership with the New Canaan Y, is hosting the second in a series of Pathway Sessions on addiction- and mental health-related topics. This month, we have John Hamilton, LMFT, Mountainside who will speak to benzodiazepines, or benzos. Benzos are a type of medications known as tranquilizers, that are easy to abuse. For instance, mixing a benzodiazepine drug like Xanax with alcohol can be fatal.

The New Canaan Parent Support Group and the New Canaan YMCA are pleased to present the fourth session in our Pathway Series. The Pathway sessions address important topics on addiction and mental health issues. This month's topic is Family Recovery from Addiction. Diana Clark, Family Outreach Specialist at Turnbridge, will discuss how the parents and siblings can use specific strategies to heal and promote a loved one’s recovery from substance use disorder. Diana is the author of the book Addiction…

The New Canaan Parent Support Group and the New Canaan YMCA are pleased to present the sixth session in our Pathway Series. The Pathway sessions address important topics on addiction and mental health issues. Following last month’s focus on marijuana facts, this month’s discussion topic is evaluations of substance use. Frank Bartolomeo, PhD, LMFT, will discuss how professionals evaluate loved ones for substance abuse and addiction.

On Wednesday, November 14th at 7PM, the New Canaan Parent Support Group and the New Canaan YMCA will host Jeff Foote, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Motivation & Change in NYC. Dr. Foote has 30 years' experience in the addiction treatment and research field. He is Co-Author of the book Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change. Jeff and his team have trained parents on combining self-help, compassion and positive reinforcement to help loved ones find…

Speaker: Mike Topazio with high school leadership students Do you have a teen? Come talk about distracted driving, vaping, prescription medication & risk taking. Hear from our high school leadership students the most effective way of communicating with your teen on these tough topics.

Tim Walsh of Adventure Recovery will discuss how outdoor adventure creates unique bonds for young people in recovery. Tim is an outdoor educator and recovery coach with over 25 years experience working with youth in the addiction recovery and prevention field. He has developed outdoor programs for Mountainside Treatment Center, Newport Academy and Westport House. Hosted by the New Canaan Parent Support Group and the New Canaan YMCA. Email Paul Reinhardt at preinhar99@gmail.com or go to ncparentsupportgroup.org for more information.

Recovery Coaching is an important tool in the "continuum of care" approach for treating and recovering from addiction. Michael Askew, of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR), will describe how coaches are trained and certified. Trey Laird, of Lighthouse Recovery 365, will describe how coaching and peer support can dramatically improve recovery success rates.

Julia Latimer, a Treatment Placement Specialist with Acadia Healthcare, will discuss how to find the best-suited addiction or mental health treatment for your loved one. Julia will refer only after taking into account the diagnosis, insurance requirements, location and specialty programming needed. Please come with plenty of questions.