Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series
Through our Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series, the Downingtown Area School District furthers its commitment to promoting healthy communities by featuring speakers and presentations that support our mission of providing wellness opportunities for our families.
April is National Alcohol Awareness Month
April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, a campaign founded in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug dependence (NCADD) to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction, educate communities, and promote treatment for alcohol-related issues.
Throughout the years, DASD Wellness through its collaboration with Communities that Care of Greater Downingtown (CTC) and our Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series, we have offered families opportunities to listen to webinars and podcasts focused on raising awareness of alcohol misuse and providing resources for prevention, recovery, and support.
We have listed some of our resources specifically focused on how parents have a positive impact on their children's choices when it comes to alcohol and/or substance use . Please come back to our page over and over to use our many resources that we have thoughtfully created, collected and researched over the years.
- DASD & CTC Parent Speaker Series - Power of Parents: As a parent, you have the power to help your child make smarter, safer choices. Your influence can save lives ... perhaps even your child's. Our featured speaker, Beth Bruton from Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems, shared MADD’s Power of Parents® program which empowers parents of middle school and high school students to have ongoing, intentional conversations about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and other drug use.
- CTC's Podcast Episode 28: Do “all kids” drink by the end of high school? Underage drinking perceptions and norms: Do all kids drink alcohol before they graduate high school? Is this a thing? Again, Beth Bruton, Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems, breaks down the youth and parent perceptions and norms around underage drinking. In this podcast we discuss all the surrounding variables that influence youth’s perception of alcohol including social media, peer influence, and family modeling.
- CTC's Podcast Episode 25: “I Always Felt Loved”: A Parent’s Story About Supporting Their Child with Substance Use Disorder
- CTC's Podcast Episode 46: You did it right? How much do we tell our kids about our past alcohol and drug use?
2025-2026 Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series
Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown (CTC) and DASD Wellness: In partnership CTC and DASD offered a virtual parent/caregiver speaker series to increase education and awareness on mental health and ATOD topics focused on the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (2023) risk and protective factors and provided parents with resources and support during the school year.
Challenges and Strategies for Students with School Avoidance: School avoidance is a complex and challenging issue for students, parents, and school staff. This program brings together experts from our community who directly work with parents , students, and our DASD schools to understand the contributing issues of school avoidance and identify helpful strategies and resources to support parents and students.
Neuroscience for High Risk Behavior: Protecting and Growing Executive Functioning Skills explains how alcohol, drugs, technology overuse, and other high-risk behaviors disrupt the developing brain systems that support planning, self-control, and decision-making in children and teens. This program shares parent tools such as parenting scripts, daily routines, and life skills to support healthy behaviors and resilient youth.
Cartwheel Webinar Series
Supporting Family Wellness and Mental Health Webinars
Dates: various throughout 2025-2026
Location: Register for webinars: live or replay
Website: Cartwheel
- April 15, 12 pm: 5 Keys to Parenting a Child with ADHD, Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D.
- May 12, 7 pm: Learning How to Recognize and Treat Youth with OCD and Related Disorders, Erica Greenberg, M.D.
- June 4, 12 pm: Supporting Boys: Mental Health Strategies for Young Men, Chris Smith
24-Hour Crisis Support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call, text or chat 988
Valley Creek Crisis Intervention
24-Hour Hotline
Safe to Say Something
24-Hour Tip Line
1-844-SAF2SAY
www.safe2saypa.org/tip
Are you afraid someone you know may hurt themselves? Submit an anonymous tip and school officials and law enforcement (as necessary) will immediately respond.
CHESTER COUNTY
CHILD & ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series Past Events
Belonging
- Dr. Temple Grandin meets with DASD community
- Search for Identity: Be A Part of the Conversation
- Trauma, Resilience, & the Importance of Self-Care: Chester County ACEs Coalition and Chester County Health Department
- You can’t always be invincible: Vince Papale
Parenting
- Being Comfortable in the Uncomfortable: How to have tough conversations with your kids: Dr. Jennifer Benjamin
- Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Family: Sara Brooks, LPC, Bethann Cinelli, D.Ed., Chrissie Dziembowski, MPH, Judy Hirsh, JD, CFRS, Kim Porter, CFRS, Lex Romillard, MSW, LCSW
- PREP: Prevention Resources & Education for Parents/Caregivers: Sarah Brooks, Bethann Cinelli and Selena Moressi, Caron
- Power of Parents: Communities that Care & Beth Bruton, Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems
Technology
- Digital Parenting with Family Tech: How to Manage Tech in your home with your kids of all ages: Sarah Kimmel, Family Tech
- Internet Safety: Joe Myers
- Online Safety Parent Night: DASD Technology Department
Substance Use
- CTC: Episode 23: How Our Youth Really Feel About Substances and More: Breaking Down PAYS Data Part 1
- CTC: Episode 25: “I Always Felt Loved”: A Parent’s Story About Supporting Their Child with Substance Use Disorder
- Episode 28: Do “all kids” drink by the end of high school? Underage drinking perceptions and norms
- Mock Teen Bedroom: Be A Part of the Conversation
- Episode 31: Vaping Myths & Facts Part 1
- Episode 32: Vaping Myths & Facts Part 2
- Nicotine, Vaping & Smoking - Understanding Psychological & Physiological Health Risks for Adolescents: David Fialko, B.S., NCTHS, ICPS
- Episode 43: Stealth vaping, Snapchat & Other Drug Trends with Shannon DiCandilo
- Peak Performance: Substance Use Prevention and Wellness for Student Athletes: Tina George, MSW, CPS
- Prevention Resources and Education for Parents: Vaping: Selena Morresi, Caron's Educational Alliance
- Episode 46: You did it right? How much do we tell our kids about our past alcohol and drug use?
- Episode 47: Nothing That Isn’t Yours! Opioids and Fentanyl Use in Chester Co.
- Episode 52: What is California Sober? With Be A Part of the Conversation
When School is Out
- Embracing Summer: Keli Laverty, BC - DMT
- Wellness Reset for the Summer: Meghan Belamorich, MD, Jennifer Benjamin, PhD., LPC, Amanda Daley, Jan Michener, MA, Pricilla Singleton, LCSW, LMFT
Mental Health
- Community Connections: Addressing Student Mental Health with Experts
- Eating Disorders Amongst Youths: Shelby Milne, Renfrew Center
- Helping Students in Distress: Recognizing and Responding to the Warning Signs of Depression and Suicide: Dr. Matthew Wintersteen
- Recognizing the Signs of Suicide and Depression: Dr. Matthew Wintersteen
- Signs of Suicide- Helping Your Child Save a Life: Greta Neff
Help at/With School
- Challenges and Strategies for Students with School Avoidance: Anthony Bertolino, Katie May and Dr. Daniel Stone
- Episode 51: Meet the Elementary Prevention Specialists
- Episode 50: High School Prevention Specialists: Learn about who they are, what they do and how they can help. CTC podcast
Bullying
- A Conversation About Bullying: Sara Shepard and Zakiya Young
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