TOPIC: “Understanding Adolescent Mental Health Issues of Today”

Sunday, September 24, 2023

11:30 am in Memorial Room

(After the 10:30 am Service)

Lunch Provided:  Doors open at 11:30; program runs 12 noon – 1:30 PM

You’re invited to join in the community conversation about the mental health issues facing adolescents today.  Our expert panelists will provide their professional insights on their work with teenagers across a variety of therapeutic, community, social and educational settings.  They will highlight the current areas of concern for heightened community awareness about vaping, fentanyl, prescription medications and other issues related to adolescent anxiety and depression. A Q&A session with the community will follow the panel discussion to both enlighten and encourage conversations on this important topic.

Dr. Jean Marachi, MD has had private practice as a child and adolescent psychiatry specialist in Southport since 1980. He is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine and serves as Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center where he also conducts supervision and training of child psychiatry fellows and developmental-behavioral pediatric trainees.  Dr. Marachi has worked with several regional school districts in Fairfield county as well as the Bridgeport Child Guidance Clinic.

Nancy Billington has held leadership roles in educational advocacy in Fairfield for over 25 years. She is the Executive Director of Inspire, Inc. and she founded Fairfield’s Alcohol Use Prevention Task Force and was an advisor on the establishment of the Town’s Community Coalition on Alcohol and Health, now called Fairfield Cares.  Nancy has established innovative school and community programs to address gender equity, athletic codes and underage alcohol and substance misuse.  She is a graduate from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Lauren Lanham has been a meditation and yoga instructor for more than 25 years. She is the Executive Program Director of Inspire, Inc.  She holds certification from The White Lotus Foundation, Amrit Yoga Foundation and is REIKI master.  Lauren has completed facilitator training in trauma-sensitive yoga and has created the Lasting Family Connections Program and QPR-Suicide Prevention Program.   Along with Nancy Billington, she is a founding member of Fairfield Cares – the Town of Fairfield’s Community Coalition on Alcohol and Health.  Lauren is a graduate of George Washington University.

Deb Deren has been a licensed clinical social worker for 27 years, the past 17 years as a high school social worker. She has been involved in counseling, working with special education students, crisis intervention, training staff on suicide prevention models and working with outside agencie.  Deb is a certified addictions counselor and recently re-started her private practice.  She is a graduate of Bentley College and has an MS in Social Work from Columbia University.