Children don't come with a manual. In our continuing effort to help parents support their children of all ages, each year we offer to address some of the issues that parents struggle with.  

Navigating Social Life in a Digital World: Skills and strategies
to help teens effectively manage technology’s new role in
peer relationships with Jill Walsh

November 18, 2019 • 7:00 p.m. • Wheaton North High School

Dr. Jill Walsh is a researcher and lecturer at Boston University. She studies teens’ digital lives and translates that on a global scale to help close the generational gap so that parents can make informed decisions around the digital, social, and emotional health of their children. Her talk focuses on providing parents with practical strategies to help their teens manage the social challenges they often face when communicating with peers on their devices.

Legal Marijuana: Now what? - A Parent's Guide to the Law, Vaping and Teen Health

January 28, 2020 • 7:00 p.m. • Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Join us for an important parent workshop with Matthew Quinn, LCPC, CADC.
Matthew Quinn has been counseling adolescents and adults for the past 15 years. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Notre Dame and Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Matthew is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Illinois.

SCREENAGERS: The Next Chapter, Empowering Youth with Stress Resilience

February 3, 2020 • 7:00 p.m. • Studio Movie Grill

SCREENAGERS Next Chapter is a film about helping young people thrive in our screen and stress-filled world. Filmmaker and physician Delaney Ruston uses a personal lens and professional eye to help parents flip the script on stress, anxiety, and depression. We follow Delaney as she suddenly finds herself at a loss on how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional wellbeing. Ruston sets out to uncover how we understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society. And how we as parents and schools empower teens with skills to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience. 

When panic turns to pain, helping to navigate teen anxiety with Jennifer Stenzel

April 14, 2020 • 7:00 p.m. • Prairie Path Books in Town Square Wheaton

Panic, anxiety, depression--all can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Jennifer explores factors that contribute to these concerns as well as ways to identify unhealthy coping responses in children and adolescents. Conversation will occur around positive parenting strategies that encourage effective communication and promote healthy coping responses.