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Some call it a white-light moment. I choose to frame it as a moment of clarity. As I sat there at the end of my childhood bed with my younger brother, scared and begging me to be honest, I had that moment of clarity. Eight years of my substance use history and the patterned behavior that came with it washed

We’ve been exploring how nutritional lifestyle changes can make a difference for both loved ones and their family members. Fascinating work is being done by a number of practitioners of integrative medicine, functional nutrition health coaching, and functional/integrative psychiatry. All of these pathways can alter physical, mental and spiritual health. With all the non-pharmaceutical work taking place, I must question

Randye Kaye is a radio personality, actress, speaker and podcaster (Schizophrenia: 3 Moms in the Trenches), who performed a one-woman show on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 in Fairfield.  She is also the author of an honest, vulnerable book that delves into her son’s long journey with addiction and paranoid schizophrenia. Her story is inspirational to others also addressing severe mental

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