Ridgefield Principal Key Panelist at TeenTalk Summit

The state of mental health resources — and the critical need for them — in the region’s schools was the focus of the second annual “TeenTalk Summit,” held at AITE High School in Stamford on July 15. A distinguished panel, including Ridgefield High School Principal Dr. Stacey Gross, spoke of the trends and challenges faced by children, families and schools.

The TeenTalk Summit was hosted by Cos Cob-based Kids in Crisis, an agency providing free emergency shelter, crisis counseling and community programs to children and families within the Fairfield County region and throughout the state of Connecticut.

The panel discussed the wide range of issues experienced by adolescents today, and the critical need for mental health resources within schools. Members of the panel also spoke on the benefits of TeenTalk, a Kids in Crisis program that places trained counselors in area middle and high schools. These counselors provide a confidential support system for students dealing with the wide range of issues that arise in adolescence. Area town officials, community leaders and school personnel were in attendance.

The panel was comprised of community notables, including Principal Gross; Peter Tesei, First Selectman of Greenwich; Chief James Heavey of the Greenwich Police Department; Dr. Jeffrey Vanderploeg, Vice President, Child Health Development Institute; Alexis Bivens, Program Director, Fairfield County Community Foundation; Suzanne Koroshetz, Principal of Brien McMahon High School as moderator; and Tina Rivera, Principal of AITE High School, as host.

The TeenTalk program is a vital part of Ridgefield High School, managed by TeenTalk Outreach Counselor James McGinn. The Kids in Crisis biennial “Have a Heart” benefit will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Double H Farm (11 Old Stagecoach Road) in Ridgefield; proceeds from the night will support critical Kids in Crisis programs, including the TeenTalk program at Ridgefield High School. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.kidsincrisis.org.

Area schools interested in introducing the TeenTalk program into their school can contact Denise Qualey, Managing Director, Crisis and Clinical Services at Kids in Crisis, at 203-622-6556.

Based off a release from Kids in Crisis.