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Laura Stack more than met my lofty expectations when she presented to parents and concerned citizens at NCPSG’s May 7, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session. The session intermingled her son Johnny’s story of cannabis use in Colorado with the latest findings on the impact of THC on the brain and body. Her son Johnny, who died at age 19 by taking

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, we hosted an informative Pathway Session on how Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) could successfully help struggling families in CT. The reason for the session was that several NCPSG parents have been impacted by a loved one’s serious mental illness, specifically schizophrenia caused by high-potency THC. This is quickly becoming an epidemic in our state. As

Our March 5, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session with Shawn Robinson was informative and hopeful. During the session, Shawn described how the Enders Island Recovery Residence strengthens recovery for young adult males post chemical detox and an inpatient treatment program. When Shawn gets a call from a parent, it’s usually in desperation. The family “has tried everything”, and nothing has worked.

The bad news: I am hearing more and more of our parents talking not only about addiction to THC, but also cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP). While in some cases the psychosis is temporary, in others–including many in their teens and twenties–the disorder transitions into a spectrum of schizophrenia disorders. Sadly, there are limited resources to help relieve families of the burden

On Tuesday, February 11, we hosted Steve Paymer for our Drug-testing Pathway Session at St. Mark’s. Steve reviewed substance testing options, and the pros and cons of each. This was an outstanding one-hour session, with both education on testing modalities and Steve’s inspiring personal story to boot. Steve started the session by noting that drug and alcohol monitoring, if done

Picture swimming in the ocean with no land in sight.  I have a paddleboarder and motorboat to my right, a motorboat to my left, and attached to my ankle is an Ocean Guardian* shark repellent: a three-foot-long meshed metal tail with a battery on the end that shocks me and the surrounding water every six seconds. This is what I

On Wednesday, January 22, NCPSG hosted Joe Feldman, President of Cover My Mental Health, for a discussion on overcoming insurance obstacles to behavioral health care. After describing a number of specific actions that family members or loved ones can take, Joe answered questions from parents. Joe is a mental health advocate who is one of the few who can claim

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, we hosted Uri Berger, PhD, for our last Pathway Session of the year. The Zoom session was a success, as the Failure to Launch (FTL) topic is timely and there were plenty of good questions during the Q&A. In our support group meetings, I have heard dozens and dozens of stories of young adult males

On Wednesday, November 12, we hosted Maria Kratsios, LCSW, and Founder & Chief Clinical Officer of Nest Behavioral Health, for a Pathway Session on trauma. Maria is a well-respected psychologist, educator and speaker who is passionate about healing trauma using a holistic, polyvagal theory-based treatment approach. Maria set the stage for the Zoom session by first describing her own personal

Following is Aidan’s 2024 Vigil Testimonial, word for word. To view the video of his speech click here. My name is Aidan, and I’m an addict.  I grew up in New Canaan, to a single mother.  Growing up I felt rather anxious, I didn’t have a lot of friends, and I got diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD at a