Teen Talk, aneducational support group for middle school-age students in Carroll County, is open for member registration. This initiative aims to destigmatize mental health issues by providing adolescents with vital learning resources, enhancing healthy coping mechanisms and fostering positive thinking.
Leading the sessions will be experienced facilitators Whitney Cue, tLMHC, CADC, and Tina Zanders, LMSW, from Catholic Charities and Alex Gillard, EM, DBU, social worker from St. Anthony Regional Hospital. They will cover a range of important topics including vulnerability, managing anxiety and stress, overcoming depression, building healthy relationships and communication skills, developing effective coping strategies and suicide prevention. The group is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds from any Carroll County school. It will be free to members thanks to Catholic Charities and St. Anthony’s involvement with Carroll County Youth Behavioral Health Consortium, which received a grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) targeted at helping youth from Carroll County.
This is a four-week series on consecutive Mondays from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Meetings will be September 9, 16, 23 and 30 in the library at the Carroll Middle School. After-school snacks will be provided. There is no cost to join, but limited space is available. To register a teen or ask questions, contact [email protected] or (712) 792-9597.
Groups for other ages will be held in the future to continually support youth mental health and development.
Carroll County Youth Behavioral Health Consortium partners include Carroll Community School District, Carroll County Public Health Department, Carroll Police Department, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Sioux City, Coon Rapids-Bayard Community School District, Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, Kuemper Catholic Schools, NAMI/United Methodist Church, New Opportunities, Plains Area Mental Health, St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Seasons Center for Behavioral Health.
Iowa Healthcare Collaborative leads and oversees this consortium as part of the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Program, which is a four-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) initiative aimed at establishing and expanding sustainable behavioral health care services for children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years and to prevent substance misuse.
The program aims to establish new behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery services; provide training and peer mentorship opportunities; and build community partnerships to ensure youth, and their families, have access to care and community resources to support behavioral health disorders.