Lyme/Old Lyme: In it Together

Dr. Janet Dee Spoltore,   long time Coalition advocate and community member, joined us for a wonderful conversation about supporting young adults and their families as they transition to college.   Dr. Spoltore is currently the Director of Student Counseling and Health Services at Connecticut College, as well as a licensed psychologist and leader in the field of college student mental health.    If you are curious about ways to help your student through this transition- please listen!

June is Pride Month, but every month is a time to raise awareness and support for all our kids!  We were so pleased to welcome our guests from the Gender Diversity and Resiliency Program at the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut.   Renee Reopell, LCSW and Lucy Ehrenfeld, APRN joined us to share more about the work they are doing to provide services to LGBTQ+ youth in Connecticut.    This population is especially at-risk for substance use and other mental health concerns and our guests offered compassionate insight, education, and resources for all of us.

We welcomed Jenn Muggeo, Deputy Director at Ledgelight Health District (Opioid Use and Overdose Awareness and Prevention | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org) [https://llhd.org/healthy-communities/opioid-use-and-overdose-awareness-and-prevention/] Jenn is an incredible force in providing education, awareness, and support related to opioid use and overdose prevention.   It's no secret that in recent years communities across the nation have been faced with rising number of deaths associated with opioid use disorder.   Jenn joined us to learn more about what is facing Connecticut, our community, and how we can all work together to reduce stigma and potentially save lives.

ADULT use cannabis is now legal in Connecticut  with first retail marijuana hitting shelves in January of this year. We were thrilled to welcome Ben Cort on the Podcast.  Author of Weed, Inc., addiction treatment specialist, Ted Talk speaker, and national consultant in marijuana education-  Ben offers essential information, knowledge, and skills for anyone interacting and raising youth right now in our state.  THC levels are off the hook,  impact on youth development and addiction is serious, and community awareness and discussion essential. Phoebe also shared some awesome insight from a L/OL youth perspective- you don't want to miss it!   If you like what he has to share,  Ben Cort will be joining LYSB for an evening ZOOM webinar on March 29th 7PM.  Please register at www.lysb.org [https://www.lysb.org]

Join us this month for an awesome conversation with Adam Dodge, nationally accredited speaker and specialist whose work is characterized by his dedication to addressing the existing and future threats posed by technology to victims of crime and gender-based violence.  Adam has also created The Tech Savvy Parent-   an online resource for all parents striving to raise their kids safely in this ever changing digital word.    We were thrilled to chat about tips and tricks for parents, as well as our upcoming ZOOM webinar with Adam and some dynamic LOL teen experts!