Morgen Irwin

May 2014 – It’s that time of year—the season for graduation, rites of passage for millions of teens across the country. It’s also time to get parents, educators, students, and local communities on board and prepared to prevent underage drinking. For many teenagers, June only means one thing – Graduation! Now more than ever is the time to candidly talk to your teens about the dangers of underage drinking which is often so prevalent during graduation.

The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey6 found that among high school students, during the past 30 days
• 39% drank some amount of alcohol.
• 22% binge drank.
• 8% drove after drinking alcohol.
• 24% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

Join the Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. on June 3rd from 6:30-7:30 as we listen to a panel presentation with representation from Law Enforcement, local college representatives, community coalition leaders and more. This presentation will give youth and adults an overview on the effects of underage drinking and what parents should be looking for and what they should be talking about with their family. Participants will come away with at least two action steps to put into action immediately.

What: Town Hall Meeting; “Your kids are listening, what are you saying?”
When: June 3, 2014 from 6:30PM-7:30PM
Where: Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. 502 Court Street Suite 401, Utica NY 13502
Why: To help prevent Underage Drinking around Graduation time.

For more information on the upcoming Town Hall meeting, contact Samantha Madderom, Prevention, Advocacy and Training Specialist for CFLR, Inc., at 315-733-1709 or smadderom@cflrinc.org.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert for advocacy, prevention, counseling, training and recovery services. As a community partner, it is important to us that we continue spreading the message of hope to our area; especially, as we transform the lives of individuals and families by providing help and hope through advocacy, prevention, counseling and training.

May 2014 – Oneida County Professional Training Coalition and Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. will present an educational workshop by Bill De Joy, LCSW-R, entitled “Trauma: From Theory To Treatment on Friday, May 16th, 2014 at Delta Lake Inn, Rome, New York (Sponsored by the Oneida County Department of Mental Health). This workshop will take place from 9:00A.M. – 4:00P.M. (Registration begins at 8:30A.M.). The cost is $35.00 per participant, and includes morning coffee, set-up, lunch & program materials. Please register prior to this event. To register, please visit CFLR, Inc.’s website at www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or email srivera@cflrinc.org.

This workshop will enable participants to go through a variety of Trauma Theories that educate participants on how trauma is individually manifested. There will be discussion of the sources of trauma such as Childhood, Abuse, Disasters, Shootings, and Grief. There will be time to discuss the treatment techniques, so that all of the information above can be employed in a way that promotes safety and trust in order to better help the traumatized person function at the highest level possible.

Individuals encouraged to attend this workshop include: social workers, addiction treatment and/or prevention professionals, case managers, case workers, residential providers, parole and probation staff, marriage and family therapists, hospital staff and administrators, professionals who are confronted with situations involving sexual behaviors in young children and adults, and others serving individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders.

May 2014 – National Prevention Week will be celebrated May 18 – 24th this year. National Prevention Week is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, substance abuse and mental health issues; it is an opportunity to join with other individuals, organizations, and coalitions in our community to promote prevention efforts, educate others about behavioral health issues, and create and strengthen community partnerships.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc., invites you to join them on Wednesday, May 21st at their Utica Office, 502 Court Street, Suite 401 from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM to find out how you can get involved in creating a healthier community that embraces wellness. Find out how to support a variety of prevention efforts, as well as how to get involved in Project Recover, a systematic community-wide support network for individuals in recovery, and their families. Perhaps you’re interested in getting involved in the Suicide Prevention Coalition? Maybe you’re interested in being a mentor for a youth, adult or veteran living with a mental illness or dual diagnosis?

Each day of National Prevention week will have a special theme. You are encouraged to visit CFLR, Inc’s FaceBook page throughout the week to learn more about each theme, including: Prevention and Cessation of Tobacco Use; Prevention of Underage Drinking; Prevention of Prescription Drug Abuse and Marijuana Use; Prevention of Alcohol Abuse; Prevention of Suicide; and Promotion of Mental Health.

For more information on National Prevention Week, contact Judith H. Reilly, Community Programs Director for CFLR, Inc., at 315.768.2641 or jreilly@cflrinc.org.

May 2014 – Mental Health Awareness Month has been celebrated throughout the world for over 50 years.

• Did you know that 1 in 4 adults in the USA live with some form of mental illness, in any given year?
• 1 in 5 children living in the United States lives with an emotional or behavioral disorder.
• In Oneida County, compared to the national average, our youth are at a higher risk of depression and serious contemplation of suicide, than ever before.

As a community, our best chance of understanding and preventing mental health issues – like depression and substance abuse & breaking the stigma associated with them – is to openly discuss these issues and diminish the negative impact that they have on our children, families and the community.

CFLR, Inc. is offering several opportunities for community members to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, and to get involved in advocacy and recovery efforts. They include:
• Attending the free screening of the film, Here one Day, about a woman living with mental illness, her relationships with her family, and the ripple effects of her suicide on those whom she loved. The viewing will take place on Wednesday, May 14th at 6:00P.M. at SUNYIT (Student Center). Not only will attendees have the opportunity to view the film, but they’ll also be able to speak with the producer, Kathy Leichter, who’ll be able to answer any questions they may have; talk about her loss and how she moved forward;
• Wear a green ribbon for Mental Health Awareness Month. Wear it all month long, and be ready with your ‘elevator speech’ as to why good mental health affects all of us;
• Make daily posts to your Facebook page, throughout the month, regarding mental health. Visit our page, www.facebook.com/WhenTheresHelpTheresHope, often & learn more about how to get involved in efforts that support recovery from mental health, substance use and behavioral issues;
• Attend CFLR, Inc.’s Open House on Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 from 4:00P.M. – 5:30P.M. at CFLR, Inc.’s Utica Office, 502 Court Street, Suite 401 to learn more, and get more involved.

May 2014 – The Oneida County Suicide Prevention Coalition, in partnership with Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc., will host a free screening of the remarkable film, Here One Day, on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at SUNYIT (Student Center) at 6:00P.M. Doors open at 5:30P.M. This film was shot by the winner of last year’s Excellence in Cinematography Award at The Sundance Film Festival; is an unsensationalized, beautiful film that paints a captivating, intimate portrait of those left behind after a family member completes suicide. Filmmaker, Kathy Leichter, will be at this event guiding attendees through the showing and speaking about her own personal story; the journey she has gone through to be where she is today.

When filmmaker Kathy Leichter moved back into the apartment she grew up in after her mother completed suicide, she discovered a hidden box of audiotapes. Sixteen years passed before she had the courage to delve into this trove, unearthing details that her mother had recorded about every aspect of her life from the challenges of her marriage to a State Senator, to her son’s estrangement, to her struggles with bi-polar disorder. Playing like a Greek tragedy, Here One Day is a bracing, visually arresting, emotionally candid film about a woman coping with mental illness, her relationships with her family and the ripple effects of her suicide on those she loved.

Told from the point of view of Nina’s daughter, Director Kathy Leichter, and featuring Nina’s husband, son, sister, and grandchildren, Here One Day follows this family from 2004 to 2008 as they attempt to make sense of what happened and go on with their lives.

You will see the universal emotions of guilt, blame, rage, despair, humor and affection that the family experiences. Some family members think they have moved on but haven’t. Some want to move on but can’t. Some, like Nina’s grandchildren, don’t even know the full story. To tell them or not becomes a storyline, as does the role of family secrets, and how people live with loss in very different ways.

As the family reflects back on Nina’s life, this charismatic, mercurial woman comes alive. Her experience of the illness and its effect on others is also vividly portrayed. By film’s end, the family, who goes through struggles, conflicts and resolutions on-screen, is less broken, less traumatized, but still scarred and forever changed.

This event is made possible by the Oneida County Department of Mental Health, and is a collaborative effort with CFLR, Inc. and the Oneida County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

For more information or to register for viewing, contact Samantha Madderom, Prevention, Advocacy and Training Specialist for CFLR, Inc., at (315) 768 – 2677 or smadderom@cflrinc.org