Education & Awareness
We provide interactive educational programs for parents, youth, schools, and the general public in our priority communities, including peer-to-peer education by youth and young adults. Learn more below and watch some recent programs.
We are an outpatient clinic operating during set business hours. If you need immediate mental health support, call or text 988 or dial 2-1-1, option 1. If you or someone is in immediate physical danger, call 911.
Trainings
We offer a wide range of evidence-based & custom programs to build mental health & prevention skills among youth, parents, teachers, faith leaders, providers, and community members. Most programs are available in English or Spanish. Online programs are open to anyone; in-person programs target Mid-Fairfield County. Watch our Events page for upcoming programs open to the public!
We are proud of our partnership with Norwalk and Westport Public Schools, through which we train all local high school students in the evidence-based QPR suicide prevention skills before they graduate!
In 2025 we trained ~600 Norwalk middle & high school teachers in QPR.
Our Trainings Include:
- Youth Mental Health First Aid – for adults who work with youth (8 total hours)
- NAMI Ending the Silence – joint presentation by an adult and a youth with lived experience – for middle or high school students (1 hour)
- Stronger Together – mental health awareness for adults or youth (2 hours)
- SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness – fostering healthy goals & behaviors in youth – versions for middle school & high school aged groups (1 hour)
- Overdose Awareness and Narcan Administration (includes a Narcan kit) – for ages 16+ (30-60 min.)
- Parenting for Prevention (or alternatives like Parent Night Out) – for parents & PTAs (1 hour)
- Infusing Prevention into Youth Programming – for adults who work with youth (1 hour)
- Today’s Marijuana: What Families Should Know – for parents & caregivers (1 hour)
- Today’s Marijuana: What Seniors Should Know – for older adults (1 hour)
- Hidden in Plain Sight (a parent exploration of a teen bedroom to identify signs of drug use, paired with prevention education and Q&A) – for parents (1 hour)
- Facilitated discussions of film screenings, such as “If They Had Known” and “Screenagers” – for youth or parents (time depends on film length)
- Multi-part programs, such as Freshman Forum – for 9th graders and parents – (1 hour plus resource fair)
- Data presentations sharing the findings of our local Youth Surveys
- Custom speaker or panel events on a variety of mental health & prevention topics. (Watch recordings below of our 2025 Regional Cannabis Speaker Series and our 2025 Parenting Pressure panel discussion.)
- We are proud co-developers of the semi-annual Day of Training in Norwalk, providing social-emotional competencies for adults who work with youth.
Peer-to-Peer Awareness
Our CT Support Group project staff often serve as motivational speakers and offer workshops to youth and young adults, such as:
- Sharing personal recovery stories
- Teaching peer support skills
- Raising awareness about coping skills
- Providing workshops on community building
High school youth working with our local coalitions raise awareness in their schools and community in several ways, including:
- Serving as “Johnny’s Ambassadors” by teaching cannabis lessons in health classes
- Creating an assembly for middle school students
- Developing and disseminating PSAs & posters
- Providing interactive awareness activities throughout the school year in the lunchroom
- Helping organize and run Wellness Fairs in school
- Serving on panel discussions
Recent Presentations
We regularly speak at meetings and events, organize speakers and panel discussions, and coordinate presentations by partner agencies on topics related to mental health, positive youth development, parenting, substance prevention, and risky behaviors such as gambling or gaming. Watch recordings of our 2025-26 Cannabis Speaker Series below.
My story from youth cannabis addiction to advocacy.
What parents need to know about today’s weed & teen mental health.
The Cannabis Conversation: Balancing Adult Use Youth Risk & Family Impact with Dr. Joe Feuerstein
Youth panel discussion on Cannabis
“2.5 Years Later: How has legal weed affected our community?”
Want to bring a program to your school or community group?
We deliver trainings and presentations in English and Spanish, tailored to your community’s needs. Reach out to schedule.