Let's Catch-up: March 2022
Our mission is to empower families to foster resilience and prioritize mental health and emotional wellness in their children through educational programming, access to resources, and peer support. 
Discover what you can learn in an hour!
Eating Disorders: An Honest Conversation
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
12pm-1pm via Zoom

Supporting a young person with an eating disorder requires more than encouraging a change in eating habits. It calls for real focus on mental health and emotional wellness.

During this presentation, we'll learn:

  • How an eating disorder impacts a family
  • What a parent can do to care for a child struggling with an eating disorder
  • Warning signs that someone is at risk 

Sign up, and we'll send you the Zoom link shortly before the event.
Featured Speaker:

National Family Advocate
Your Child's Mental Health & Family Dynamics
How do you support other family members when one person is struggling with their mental health? During our second Lunch & Learn, Kelly Scafidi, MSW, LCSW, DT, Sound Mind Counseling, Glenview, offered advice on this complex topic including language to use during difficult conversations.

Watch the recording.
Coming up in the Lunch & Learn series...
Creating a Game Plan for your College Freshman
April 20, 12pm-1pm, via Zoom
Resilient Parenting Conference
Presented by JCC Chicago including CATCH
Educational & Wellness Event for Parents of Tweens & Teens
Sunday, April 3rd
10am – 2:15pm
Bernard Weinger JCC in Northbrook

Parents are facing an incredible struggle to care for their own mental wellness while also supporting their tweens and teens. Attend this conference and experience workshops on teen development, self-care for parents, and engaging with teens in meaningful ways.
Also from JCC Chicago: Ask an Expert

Teens and young adults are invited to ask a question of a mental health professional through this safe and anonymous format.

Parents Connect
Spring 2022: Check out the schedule
Parenting is hard. Parenting a child with mental health struggles is even harder. Sign up for Parents Connect and meet other parents who are walking in your shoes.

We gather without judgement to find community and new approaches to parenting during a time that can feel isolating and scary.

Sign up for the group that works for you based on your child's age.

Schedule:
  • Children Ages 6-13, Wednesdays, 1pm-2pm
  • Children Ages 6-13, Tuesdays, 7:30pm-8:30pm
  • Teens Ages 12-18, Thursdays 7:30pm-8:30pm
  • Adult Children 18+, Thursdays, 1pm-2pm

Groups will meet in person or via Zoom.
Here's what previous Parents Connect participants say:

"It was really nice to have an understanding group of parents to be able to bounce thoughts, struggles, and ideas off of each week."

"A group of parents who don’t judge your parenting or your child’s conditions can be difficult to come by but Parents Connect provided that to me."

"When my kids started struggling, I was looking for support in a group like Parents Connect, and I'm so grateful I've found it."
Coffee Talk in 2022
Listen, support, and share.
We know it may be hard to take the first step, but we hear from parents who have come to Coffee Talk that they are grateful they did!

CATCH Coffee Talk is happening every other Wednesday from 12pm-1pm via Zoom, and you're always welcome.

Our confidential conversations cover the hurdles and pitfalls we are all facing. 
Coffee Talk
Sign up, and we'll send you the Zoom link shortly before we meet. Come for as many talks as you are able to attend.

Upcoming Dates:
  • March 30
  • April 13 & 27
  • May 4 & 18

Prioritize your mental health with the self-care of a CATCH Coffee Talk. #TalkAboutIt
State of the Kids: Uniting for Youth Mental Health
A Nationwide Virtual Event
From the team that created the films Chasing Childhood & Race to Nowhere...

Tuesday, March 22nd, 7pm

The Surgeon General has declared a mental health emergency among youth and so many of us feel powerless to help. In this age of increased depression and anxiety, how can we collectively support our younger generation in the present moment so they can grow into thriving adults?

Sign up for this national virtual conversation featuring an incredible list of speakers and learn practical steps and inspiring strategies for supporting mental health at home, at school, and in our community.
Save the Date: May 14th
Mental Health Matters Community Lacrosse Game & Fair

Glenbrook North High School
Saturday, May 14th, 11am-2pm
11am: GBN vs. New Trier Varsity Boys Lacrosse Game
12:30pm-2pm: Community Mental Health Fair for the whole family
Parenting the Mental Health Generation
CATCH Podcast: Two New Episodes

Of course, you love your child, but how do you show it? Do they even know it? And what about those moments when they make you so mad the affection is replaced by steam pouring out of your ears? What happens to the love in that case?

In this episode, Lisa Ehrlich-Menard from Response for Teens talks about the importance of unconditional love, how to express it, and what to do in those moments when kids put parents to the test.

Do you feel pressure to protect your child from disappointment? You are not the only one.

Our guest, Dr. Karen Cassiday, clinical psychologist and owner and managing director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago, says that's a common experience for parents these days and comes with real consequences, especially when anxiety is part of the picture.

In this episode, she shares another approach to parenting and explains how her new book, The No Worries Guide to Raising Your Anxious Child, can guide families through living an imperfectly OKAY life.

Mental Health in the News
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