Please Join Us in
Welcoming
Her to the Team
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Please welcome Dawn Christie, our new Juvenile Justice Project Coordinator. Dawn brings a wealth of passion, connections and knowledge to her work in this field. The addition of Dawn to the Juvenile Justice team will allow PPAL to get to the next level, as she is an advocate who knows the system and has worked in Boston for years. Dawn is excited to be with us at PPAL. Her energy, story, support and ideas have already infused the work that PPAL continues to do! To reach Dawn, please email her at DChristie@ppal.net.
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PPAL's Support Groups in Worcester and North Central Area Are now Virtual!
Get Support During Social Distancing
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With the global COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and families. Although our staff is currently working remotely, we are still here to support you - only a phone call or an email away! New virtual support groups will replace all in-person meetings in Worcester and North Central area until further notice. Please find more information on the conference call lines and groups from the link below. Two more groups coming soon!
Get more details about the groups on our website.
You can also send us a message through Facebook.
We want to hear how you are doing!
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Virtual Resource List Now Available
Check Out These Online Support Groups Across Massachusetts
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Due to the current public health crisis, many support groups in Massachusetts have made the shift towards virtual meetings. Check with the support group provider in your area to see what's happening!
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Resources for Families During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Where to Go for Information and More
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During the outbreak of COVID-19, PPAL will provide resources selected for families with children with mental health needs. These will be posted on Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday. If you haven't liked us yet on Facebook, do it today!
For a child-level story on coronavirus, check out
How to Talk about Coronavirus with Children under the age of 7. The covibook-animated, child-level story on Coronavirus by Manuela Molina is available in multiple languages.
During quarantine, maintaining a steady structure for the day and consistent routines can help to ease the anxiety that many children with mental health needs experience. Find resources on how to build create structure and clear rules from the CDC.
For digital support for
kids with mental health (ages 7+), check out this list of apps by Common Sense Media.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) is offering a Disaster Distress Helpline. Call for 24/7, 365-day-a-year multilingual crisis counseling and support for people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
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Updated BHCA Information Now Available
Check Out Our Website to Learn More
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We have added n
ew information to our website on insurance resources regarding Behavioral Health Services for Children and Adolescents (BHCA)
Families with MassHealth secondary will be pleased to know that earlier this month, MassHealth extended the transition period end date for intermediate services (BHCA) from March 31, 2020 to June 30, 2020. Take a look and share with families who are in need of this information!
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PPAL at the Federation For Children with Special Needs Visions of Community Conference
Thanks to All Who Visited Us!
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The annual conference for organizations and individuals working with children with special needs - with PPAL again in attendance! During this very informative day, we saw both old and new faces, made connections in the community, and shared lots of resources. Thank you to everybody who came by our table and said hello!
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Juvenile Justice Program Updates
PPAL Supports Families Through the Pandemic and Beyond
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PPAL continues to support families that have children who are in need of advocacy and connection in the juvenile justice system. For many families, the coronavirus pandemic has made the situation even more challenging. We are concerned and supporting families with open CRA, trials postponed, detained youth having visits not being available due to the outbreak of COVID-19. During this time, we are fortunate that the Department of Youth Services is collaborating with us to inform parents of hard decisions.
PPAL will be hosting a Google hangout group for parents that are connected to juvenile justice. We will also host group meetings with parents as needed to keep the hope, support and most important not to feel isolated and alone!
PPAL is excited to finalize the police pocket guide in April! This will include some new fact sheets on 24/7 supports and next day supports to help families that will be available to first responders. These police pocket guides are also helpful for parents and caregivers!
Do you want to receive some resources for families during this time?
Email us at juvenilejustice@ppal.net to connect and be on a weekly list of resources to support families!
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Update: PPAL May Conference Postponed
Stay Tuned for Further Updates
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Like you, we are following Governor Baker and the CDC's recommendations carefully during this time. This leaves us with some sad news.
Our annual conference, originally scheduled for May 29, will be postponed. Although it might be possible to hold it in the fall, it is more likely that it will take place next May. It is a special time for us to connect with all of you: our donors and sponsors, our families and the many wonderful people providing support and advocacy to families of children with mental health needs throughout the year. We will update you with the new time and location as soon as we can.
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Children's Mental Health Week Is Just Over a Month Away!
Celebrate Virtually in 2020
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At PPAL, we recognize the fragility of the current situation. However, we are hopeful that Children's Mental Health Week - May 3 to 9, 2020 - will bring togetherness and awareness about mental health into our communities like it has done every year.
Please continue to send us your events that are still planned or going virtual in May. If you haven't ordered your toolkit yet, do it today!
Asking your city to issue a proclamation for this important week is also a great way to highlight the importance of children's mental health needs in your community. Get your proclamation sample letter from Milla!
Send your email to Milla.
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THE PPAL SCOOP
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Our Latest Blogs
Our young adult blogger, Chandra, writes that "I've been told that I present as a bright, well-adjusted adult who has her life together, which gets me nowhere. I'm often turned down for support." The quandary is that because she functions well, she is often denied what she needs to succeed.
Know someone like Chandra? Read the blog, share and comment!
March Statewide Meeting:
Nadine Briggs Discusses Social Skills
This month, the PPAL community met with Nadine Briggs, the director of Simply Social Kids to hold a training on social skills and the potential barriers for making lasting friendships. Nadine's informative, witty and humorous presentation put a smile on everyone's face in the room! We learned about inflexibility, emotion regulation, anxiety and impulsivity as factors that affect kids being part of a group. We also got tons of practical tips on how to support kids in the future! Thank you so much Nadine! If you would like to order Nadine's books, you can order them from on the Simply Social Kids website.
PPAL April and May Statewide Meetings
We are very disappointed to inform you that due to the current situation, our monthly Statewide Meeting on April 14th is cancelled. We are excited to work with Dr. Barent Walsh to reschedule his presentation about "Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Teens: Understanding and Treating the Complex Puzzle of Self-harm."
He has graciously agreed to give the same training later in the year when it is safe to do so.
For our May Statewide Meeting, PPAL is going virtual through ZOOM! Please welcome our guest speaker on May 12th:
Naomi Angoff Chedd, Educational Consultant and
Child and Family Counselor, with her presentation: "What Are You Worried About? Treating Fears, Phobias and Emotional Distress in Children."
More information coming soon!
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Latest Poll Results
March Poll Results
Take our new April poll on our Facebook page!
Your feedback is very valuable to us!
April Poll:
Make sure to follow us on our social media sites to stay updated about news & events!
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