One team. One community.

A whole lot of support.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Here at the Center we are grateful for so many things: the thoughtful families that come to us for guidance, the students that inspire us with their curiosity about how to help themselves and their friends, and our deeply compassionate staff that day-in-day-out give their all in support of our community. This fall in particular has been a busy one, with both community-wide and school- based programs in full swing. Here's a glimpse of what we here at the Community Counseling Center have been up to!

Some fall highlights:

• We kicked off the school year with a program spearheaded by LM Connects -- our alliance of community partners -- that shared the results of its student drug/alcohol use survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. The presentation, 'What Our Teens are REALLY Saying' offered important insights into our kids' attitudes towards drug and alcohol use. An expert panel led by LMCCC's Dr. Alan Dienstag and including District social workers, our police youth officer, and survey expert Dan Webb rounded out the evening. The entire presentation can be viewed here.

• Our Parent Center is once again offering its expertise to the families of the MUFSD. Fall Parent Circle groups have begun - these 8-week DBT-based classes help foster meaningful communication between parent and child. As usual, we will be offering sessions throughout the year so keep an eye out for registration info! In addition, Drs. Alan Dienstag and Katie Sawyer will be presenting a year-long series: 'Are We There Yet?! - a Path to Effective Parenting.' The series is offered monthly at Hommocks Middle School from 9-10:15am on specific dates and covers the most requested and important parenting topics. Click here for the full list of topics, dates, and to register!



• LMCCC partners closely with our schools to present programs and workshops for both students and staff. The 5th Grade Mindfulness Program is well underway. We recently completed instruction at Chatsworth and are now at Central, with MAS and Murray soon to follow. The 7th Grade Life Skills Program is ongoing throughout the year. Our first group of 10th graders were taught the Students Supporting Students curriculum this fall, with the second half to receive the program in early spring. We were also thrilled to welcome our colleagues from the District's Social Work and School Psychologist teams for the most recent Superintendent's Conference Day. The day was spent reflecting and creating connections through mindful activities!

• Once again, LMCCC led a team for the annual OUT of the DARKNESS walk to raise awareness about suicide prevention. It was a beautiful day to come together for a worthy cause. Join us next year!

This is just a small overview of the many ways LMCCC impacts our community - visit our website for a more comprehensive look at the many programs and events LMCCC has provided throughout the year. We also invite you to view our feature in the LMC Media Sound Shore Community Guide for a great overview!

Stay tuned for more programming from LMCCC -- remember we're here to offer help and hope.

Our door is always open.

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving,

Mark Levy, PhD

Executive Director, LMCCC