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Norwalk Official Joins 'TeenTalk Summit' For Kids In Crisis

STAMFORD, Conn. -- 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 recently at AITE High School in Stamford.

Panelists meet at the TeenTalk Summit, which was presented by Kids In Crisis.

Panelists meet at the TeenTalk Summit, which was presented by Kids In Crisis.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Panelisits were Peter Tesei, First Selectman of Greenwich; Chief James Heavey of the Greenwich Police Department; Jeffrey Vanderploeg, Vice President, Child Health Development Institute; Stacey Gross, Principal of Ridgefield High School; and Alexis Bivens, Program Director, Fairfield County Community Foundation. They spoke on the trends and challenges faced by children, families and schools.

Brien McMahon High School Principal Suzanne Koroshetz served as moderator and AITE High School Principal Tina Rivera was the host. The TeenTalk Summit was presented 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.

Panel members spoke about the benefits of TeenTalk, a Kids in Crisis program that places trained counselors in 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 schools interested in introducing the TeenTalk program into their schools can contact Denise Qualey, Managing Director, Crisis and Clinical Services at Kids in Crisis, at 203-622-6556.

Kids in Crisis is Connecticut’s only free, round-the-clock agency providing emergency shelter, crisis counseling and community educational programs for children of all ages and families dealing with a wide range of crises – domestic violence, mental health and family problems, substance abuse, economic difficulties and more. 

Photo IDs: TeenTalk Summit Panelists, from left:  Jeffrey Vanderploeg, Associate Director, Child Health Development Institute; Suzanne Koroshetz, Principal of Brien McMahon High School; Chief James Heavey of the Greenwich Police Department; Stacey Gross, Principal of Ridgefield High School; Tina Rivera, Principal of AITE High School; Peter Tesei, First Selectman of Greenwich; and Alexis Bivens, Program Director, Fairfield County Community Foundation.

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