Comprehensive 'Wellness' Forum Set for Wednesday Night at West Morris Central

Parents of school-aged children often need resources to help them navigate every stage of life, especially adolesc.

And the Washington Township Municipal Alliance is providing just that.

In a comprehensive event scheduled for Wednesday night at West Morris Central High School, six different speakers – from teachers to police officers and mental health experts – will oversee workshops designed to help parents better understand the life of a teen, and what may be going on inside their minds.

There will be two sessions: the first from 7:10 to 7:55 p.m.; and the second from 8:05 to 8:50 p.m., with a short roundup meeting with all the facilitators from 8:50 to 9:15 p.m.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. with an introduction of the evening and other particulars.

Below is a n explanation from the Municipal Alliance, which outlines each program and their speaker.

Bernard Ivin – “Helping your Child Succeed”

This workshop is designed to give you practical strategies to assist your child to perform their best in school. Parenting in this day and age can be very difficult, especially if you have a child underachieving in school or dealing with other life difficulties. Bernie has developed a model to assist parents in forging a strong relationship with their child while holding them accountable to their responsibilities. You will also learn about the roadblocks to success and how to successfully navigate around them. Don’t miss this out on his powerful message!

Bernie (Bernie) Ivin is the founder and Director of Strength For Change Counseling and Self Development Center. He is also the creator of 123 Succeed, a comprehensive system for school success. Over the past 20 years, Bernie has counseled teens and their families and has had great success in helping his clients overcome their roadblocks to success.

Det. Chris Bratus - “Drugs in the Community”

Det. Bratus will cover what drugs are most prevalent in Washington Township, some basic signs parents can look for when dealing with their children as well as tips to help prevent their children from ending up down this road. I will bring all of the drugs I’m talking about with me so people can see what they look like.

Detective Chris Bratus is with the Washington Township Police Department. He is certified as a Drug Recognition Expert and has been involved in narcotics enforcement for 17 years.

Kelly Kullick - “Technology and Today”

Is your child a social (media) butterfly? Is one day a Snapchat obsession and the next day Instagram? If you are a parent that is struggling to keep up-to-date with your child’s social media platforms than this presentation is for you! Join Kelly Kulick, LVMS School Counselor, to learn the lingo, current trends, and important safety tips on the most popular social media sites today. Kelly will also address any questions parents have been too afraid to ask their children, “What’s a DM, or a Story”? Come learn today!

Kelly Kullick is a counselor at Long Valley Middle School. Come join Kelly for a glimpse of the what technology your child is familiar with.

Mark Ippolito – “Advocacy at the Expense of Independence”

In an era of unprecedented parent advocacy and involvement, are we robbing our children of opportunities to grapple socially and emotionally and to develop resilience and independence? Whereas we all know that parents are pivotal in promoting academic success and supporting children to meet high expectations, when does “too much of a good thing simply become too much?” What do the experts say about finding the threshold between stepping up and backing out.

Join LVMS Principal Mark Ippolito for a frank look at trends in parenting and a synthesis of opinions from leading experts in child-development.

John Grund –“Mindfulness and the Teen Brain”

This introductory talk will explore and encourage the development of Mindfulness. Mindfulness is the deliberate, investigative form of awareness that can offer individuals a way to come off “automatic pilot.” This stress reducing practice will assist in developing a more genuine and authentic connection with self and others. Through activity and discussion, participants will experience this scientifically proven and life changing practice.

John Grund, LCSW has been a licensed psychotherapist for 29 years and received his MS in Clinical Social Work from NYU. John has received trainings including UMASS’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Stanford University’s Forgiveness Therapy, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, and in Mindsight and Interpersonal Neurobiology. He has been deeply influenced by Mindfulness and has taught this life changing practice to educators, business people, therapists and adolescents.

Paul Lavella Jr. MA, LPC, LCADC, ACS – “ Experimentation versus Abuse”

Adolescence is a period of development hallmarked by its trials and turmoil where our youth are tasked at transitioning from a childhood state of dependency and reliance to an adult state of independence and maturity. High risk behaviors, including substance use, can impact development in this state of transition. This session, designed to be both didactic and discussion, aims to focus on identifying when adolescent experimentation crosses the line into being problematic substance use.

Paul Lavella Jr. is Licensed in the state of New Jersey as both a Professional Counselor and a Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, working with adolescents, young adults, and families. Currently serving as the Program Director for Treatment Dynamics of Summit – Florham Park, and maintaining a private practice, Paul has specialized in working with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders for the past 10 years.

The forum is free and open to the public, and members of the community are invited to attend.

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