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On November 5, 2025, NCPSG hosted a Pathway Session on Recovery from Technology Addiction with two clinicians, Michael Shelby, LPC, and John Markette, LPC, both based in the West Hartford area. While I was originally looking for a speaker to address ADD and ADHD, I was convinced by the speakers to focus on an emerging addiction in our digital world.

I didn’t know Laura Williams. It was such a shock when I read the news post on my phone of a murder in New Canaan. She had died at the hand of her own young adult son, who had struggled with his mental health and learning differences for years apparently, and “self-medicated” with THC based on his online profile. This

On October 8, 2025, NCPSG hosted a Pathway Session on Recovery from THC Addiction with Amy Swift, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Silver Hill Hospital. Most of the session, in both Amy’s prepared remarks and in the Q&A session, covered the intersection between use of high-potency THC and mental health. While Amy stopped short of making a direct causal

It was September 2020, and the fluorescent lights of Norwalk Hospital’s ER were giving me a splitting headache. I lay on a gurney, cold despite the thin blanket, back again for what felt like the millionth time. My dad sat quietly in the corner, looking both worried and disappointed. I was at the hospital to detox from pills and alcohol.

We have combed through all the August 27, 2025 Vigil video footage taken by JB Sankara and NCHS film student Yanfer Martinez, and have released higher quality versions of the testimonials from the Vigil. Please click on the following names below to view the YouTube videos, which include the introductions by the speakers’ parents. Alex Smith, Gina Frazier, Pete Thunem

On September 17, 2025, NCPSG hosted a Pathway Session on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) to promote recovery from addiction and substance use. The speaker was Charlotte Bareiss, LCSW, founder/owner of Connected Therapy Group, based in Greenwich and NYC. Charlotte started out her presentation labeling ACT as part of a “third wave” of CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, that allows

I am still on cloud nine after our successful Community Addiction Awareness Vigil, our 9th. I’m so grateful for everyone involved. Below is the Letter to the Editor, which was released on Tuesday, September 2. Dear Editor: On behalf of the New Canaan Parent Support Group and our co-Host New Canaan Community Foundation, I’d like to thank all those who

Here are answers to your questions about our New Canaan Vigil on August 27, 2025. Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions: [To track us heading into the Vigil, just go to ncparentsupportgroup.org/news.]

On July 16, 2015, two New Canaan police officers knocked on the door of our house at 25 Heather Drive, to tell my wife and I that my Evan from Heaven, that funny family comedian, had died of an overdose the previous day. That young man, who lighted up the room when he walked in, had passed alone in his

On Tuesday, June 3, I attended and was honored at Liberation Program’s Spirit of Hope Gala. With a theme of “Celebrating Resilience”, the event recognized both John Maxwell and me as individuals who have had “extraordinary impact on families and communities across our region” through their “dedication to saving lives and building a safer, more compassionate world.” In receiving the