2024 Power of Prevention Event

“PREvention Starts with all” with Chris Herren

On Wednesday, November 25, 2024, nearly 500 community members gathered at the Scituate Center for Performing Arts for a riveting presentation by former NBA star and recovery advocate, Chris Herren. You could hear a pin drop as he shared his personal journey, as a child growing up in New Bedford in a home with parental alcohol use disorder, with an amazing basketball trajectory from high school to playing college and the pros, all while progressing from alcohol misuse to opioids. From overdoses, treatment, relapses, and eventually recovery. He bared his heart when answering questions from the audience, connecting in various ways and offering hope
for families.

This event showcased the strong collaborations in the Scituate community, with a free pizza dinner provided by the Friends of Scituate FACTS and amazing resource providers connecting with participants in the PAC Lobby before and after the speaking program. Thank you to SPS Counseling, SPS Health & Wellness Educators, peers and staff from South Shore Peer Recovery, and representatives from the Interface Referral Service. Many thanks to our panelists and all the volunteers who made the event such
a success!

RESOURCE PANEL:

Christine O’Shaughnessey - Mindful Presence

Our panel Facilitator Christine O’Shaughnessey, MBA, worked in finance and business before her shift to wellness coaching. Knowing the effects that stress can play in people’s health led her to formal training in yoga and, mindfulness meditation as an integral tool for stress management, relaxation training, addiction, anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain and long-term illnesses.

Chris is the co-creator of Harvard Pilgrim’s online instructional yoga videos and Present app available on iTunes. Through her business Mindful Presence, she provides mindfulness training and executive coaching for individuals, corporations, colleges and public schools. She recently published her first book, Mindful Presence in Leadership: Releasing Burnout, Chaos and Stress, available on Amazon.

Kristen Scully - South Shore Peer Recovery

Kristen Scully is a peer support specialist and community outreach and engagement coordinator for SSPR. She also works at the perinatal behavioral health clinic at South Shore Hospital, where she supports and coaches new and expecting moms who like herself have substance use disorder. South Shore Peer Recovery Center in Scituate Harbor is where she found her community and recovery!

www.southshorepeerrecovery.org
781 378 -0453
51 Cole Parkway, Scituate Harbor
383 Bridge Street, North Weymouth

Kelly Anne Weaver - Interface

Kelly Anne Weaver, M.A., is the Operations Manager at the INTERFACE Referral Service. Kelly is passionate about assisting INTERFACE callers with accessing mental health resources since 2008. Kelly received her master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, and for many years Kelly worked as an LGBTQ Advocate at MassBay Community College. In that role, Kelly led campus wide advocacy programs such as National Coming Out Day and Guest Speaker Panel Discussions to promote increased awareness of LGBTQ issues. As a Team Leader for the INTERFACE Referral Service, Kelly supervises, trains and manages referral counselors and is passionate about providing the best customer service to clients in order to improve access to mental health services. Kelly is also currently on the Speakers Bureau for Greater Boston PFLAG, which provides opportunities for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity in order to increase understanding and respect for human diversity.

INTERFACE Referral Help Line

https://interface.williamjames.edu/about

888-244-6843; 617-332-3666
Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am – 5pm
Tues, Thurs, 8am – 6pm

Jen Lopes - Scituate Public Schools

Jen Lopes has been a SHS Adjustment Counselor since 2011. Her current caseload includes 10th-12th graders. As an LICSW over the years, Jen has worked as a social worker in the following fields: Department of Children and families, neonatal intensive care, outpatient mental health, inpatient psychiatric, child/adolescent witness to domestic violence, and hospice. Though she has loved all her jobs, she feels incredibly proud and honored when SHS students and families trust her enough to share tough stuff.

jlopes@scit.org
List of all SHS Adjustment Counselors

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN THE LOBBY:

Scituate Public Schools HEALTH & WELLNESS EDUCATORS - OVERVIEW OF PREVENTION CURRICULUM

THE FRIENDS OF SCITUATE FACTS

THE RISK & PROTECTIVE FACTOR SCALE - Print Your own worksheet here!

2022 Power of Prevention Event

Welcome Remarks

On Sunday, November 13, 2022, more than 75 community members gathered for our annual educational conference. Scituate FACTS Coalition Co-Chairs Annmarie Galvin (Substance Misuse Prevention Coordinator for Town of Scituate), and Greg Ranieri (Dept. Chair of Health and Wellness for Scituate Public Schools), shared the state of prevention for the community coalition.

Key Takeaways for FACTS 2.0: The importance of parents and caregivers and proven strategies to delay/reduce/prevent substance use initiation in our children.

Slides Here!

Additional resources for having “the talk” -
How to set clear expectations for healthy behavior:
www.teen-safe.org
www.drugfree.org
www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

Sample Contracts: SADD Contract for Life; Contract for Life Emailed Version; Sample Contract with Consequences

Keynote Speaker: Author Jessica Lahey

Our keynote presenter was Jessica Lahey, the New York Times best-selling author of The Gift of Failure. She shared science and relatable stories from her new book The Addiction Inoculation to help parents, educators, and others understand the roots of addiction, to identify who is most at risk for developing a problem, as well as clear, practical steps for prevention.

According to her bio, Jessica Lahey was born into a family with a long history of substance use disorder. Despite her desire to avoid this genetic legacy, Jessica developed alcoholism and didn’t find her way out until her early forties. She has worked as a teacher in treatment programs for teens and was determined to inoculate her own teens against their most dangerous inheritance. All children, regardless of their genetics, are at some risk for substance misuse. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, teen drug addiction is the nation’s largest preventable and costly health problem. Despite the existence of proven preventive strategies, nine out of ten adults with substance use disorder report they began drinking and taking drugs before age eighteen. (Excerpted from Amazon.)

The audience heard research on adolescent brain development, the difference between adolescent use of drugs and alcohol and adult use of drugs and alcohol, and the importance of delaying. Additional risk factors were explained including genetic risk, academic failure, and social isolation, as well as ways that risk can be practically mitigated. The presentation was not recorded, but much of the content can be found on her daily Instagram posts Folllow @teacherlahey on Instagram or twitter. Based on everyone’s enthusiasm,
a winter book club meeting is in the works!

Books were for sale from Buttonwood Books, with book signing available after the speaking program.

Power of Prevention Event listening to speaker.

Skills & Information Stations

Shoutout to Gates Health Educator Amy Heffernan for designing interactive spaces for Power of Prevention attendees! Before and after the program, participants were able to learn local data and specific skills from our coalition members. Click on the links below to see the resources that were shared!

Everyone was treated to warm drinks and baked goods from Herren Wellness while visiting these awesome exhibits before and after the speaking program. Many thanks to the Friends of Scituate FACTS, Inly School. Coastal Heritage Bank for the financial support of the Power of Prevention program. Our crew of Scituate High School students, volunteers, and SPS and Recreation staff made everything run like clockwork - thanks to all!