Whether you are reading about it in the New York Times (one of many, many articles here), hearing about it on NPR (one of many, many stories here), or living through it every day with your child or children, one thing is clear. The United States is experiencing an adolescent mental health crisis. According to CDC reports, in 2020, suicide was the second leading cause of death among those ages 10-24.

People say a parent is only as happy as their least happy child.  As a result, that may mean many parents are suffering as well.

At Temple Beth Am, we are a family, and one thing family does is help each other through hard times. As a result, we are arranging for Maria Mastromarino* to come speak to us about the mental health crisis and offer us support, advice, and resources.  

These initial meetings will be somewhat of a "roundtable" discussion / support group / information gathering session. Maria will bring a lot of resources she will tell you about, but will also take questions. You can submit these questions ahead of time anonymously through this Google Form, or you can ask your question at the session. We will also have pads of paper that you can write questions on if you are not comfortable speaking about your questions / concerns. Based on how these initial sessions go, Maria has offered to come back and cater future sessions to your needs.

This event is FREE for temple members. We ask that non temple members consider making a donation of $18. Temple members may, of course, do the same. If you are a non-member you can attend for free - please just RSVP as a member and put a note in the "Note" section with your phone number and email address.

*Maria Mastromarino's mission is to empower and educate families that are supporting a child with mental health needs. Her daughters have struggled with anxiety and depression from an early age. Ms. Mastromarino has gained valuable knowledge from mental health professionals, educators, and other parents in her quest to ensure that her daughters have a variety of effective strategies to help them succeed. She hopes to be a resource to families by sharing what she has learned, raising awareness, and reducing stigma around the mental health needs of our youth.