Maine Township's MaineStay Presents Parents Academy

Maine Township’s MaineStay Youth &
Family Services Presents Parents Academy

Maine Township’s MaineStay Youth & Family Services invites parents to join them for a Parents Academy seminar with Dr. Andrea Barthwell on Thursday, March 19 from 7 - 9 p.m. at the Maine Township Town Hall, 1700 Ballard Road, Park Ridge.

Admission is free but advance registration is requested. For more information or to register, call 847-297-2510 or visit www.mainetownship.com/mainestay.

This seminar will help parents foster healthy, functional habits in their teenaged children. Parents will be given effective techniques on how to establish open dialogues with their children, how to identify risky behavior, and how to create a plan of action to motivate and encourage better decision-making. Drug and alcohol experimentation during adolescence can lead to greater problems as teens leave home and head to college and beyond. Dr. Barthwell will inform parents how to guide their children through young adulthood and how to allow them to discover themselves in a safe, structured environment to ensure that they grow into successful and healthy adults.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) found that teens that learn about the risks of alcohol and drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use illicit substances; however, only about three in ten teenagers report learning about the dangers of substance abuse from their parents.

This event is designed for parents, but school personnel, counselors, and social workers are also encouraged to attend as CEUs will be available.

Andrea Barthwell, M.D., F.A.S.A.M., is the founder and Medical Director of Encounter Medical Group and Two Dreams. She is a former Deputy Director of Demand Reduction at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONOCP), a Fellow and past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Prior to her service in Washington, Dr. Barthwell was Medical Director of Interventions and TASC-IL. In 1997, she was voted by her peers as one of the “Best Doctors in America” in addiction medicine.

MaineStay Youth & Family Services was founded in 1975 and exists to support the growth of healthier families in the Maine Township community by providing affordable strength-based counseling and comprehensive programs focused on prevention and education.

For more information about these programs or any of the MaineStay services, please visit www.mainetownship.com or call 847-297-2510.