Fairfield, CT - Though the Covid-19 pandemic has been officially deemed over, the emotional residual effects are still very much apparent - ask any school social worker. Anxiety is an issue that many young people struggle with for a variety of reasons. During the pandemic, all the normal outlets that kids typically have were no longer available since we were all isolating. Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways. Often parents are at a loss as to how to best address their children’s angst.
On May 17th, the Fairfield CARES Community Coalition will be hosting eminent child and adolescent anxiety researcher, Dr. Eli Lebowitz, at the Tomlinson Middle School from 7:00-8:30 PM as the featured speaker for their Annual Meeting Community Event. All community members, especially parents of school age childen, are welcome to attend. Registration is not required, but helpful for planning purposes: 2023FairfieldCARESAnnualCommunityEvent.eventbrite.com
Dr. Lebowitz is the Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center, and has developed a proven effective treatment protocal referred to as S.P.A.C.E (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) to help parents manage their children’s anxiety. Dr. Lebowitz will share how SPACE can be a helpful tool to parents at the May 17th event. He will explain how parents can be supportive while also being less accommodating to their children’s anxiety.
The Fairfield CARES Community Coalition is the town of Fairfield’s Local Prevention Council. Its mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance use and to promote youth mental health wellness. Its current drug prevention focus is on youth use of alcohol, cannabis, and vaping nicotine and marijuana. The coalition meets the third Wednesday of the month, September through June, 8:30-10:00AM at the BOE Conference Room and via Zoom. Please visit www.fairfieldct.org/fairfieldcares to learn more about the coalition.