OMS School Counseling Newsletter

“Mindful Parenting for Autistic Children” is for anyone who wants to understand ASD on a deeper level and know exactly how to overcome the challenges it comes with by having proven techniques and activities at your disposal.

Inside Mindful Parenting for Autistic Children, you're going to learn about:

• What ASD is all about

• Understanding and Responding to the behavioral patterns of autistic children

• Autism and its impact in every area of your kid's life

• Challenges autistic kids face in every life stage

• Understanding your kid on a deeper level and maintaining a deep connection

• How autistic kids already have it tough and how you can make things better

• Practical DBT skills and activities to teach your child social & interpersonal skills

• Learning to accept and be more compassionate towards your child

• The many challenges parents of autistic people face and how to navigate those waters

• How to practice self-care and avoid stress

• Mindful activities to help your kid thrive

• And a whole lot more!

"Navigating the Cyber World" March 5, 2024 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. This workshop will be remote. Zoom registration link HERE, workshop description and speaker’s bio:

Navigating the Cyber World
This workshop reviews the challenges and dangerous situations that may arise through use of the internet, social media, and smartphones. It is important for school staff and parents to be aware of the popular apps, social media sites, and programs used by youth online. This workshop explains the issues and possible consequences of cyberbullying, sexting, and revealing identifying information to strangers.

About the speaker
Cory Mashburn, M.Ed., has over 20 years expertise in the field of prevention services and more than 25 years’ experience working with youth and people with disabilities. He has overseen the planning and implementation of prevention programs within communities and schools in the New England Region, including substance use and abuse, bullying, cyber safety, and human rights. In addition, Cory has developed multiple health and wellness curricula in schools across the state of Massachusetts. He holds master’s degrees in educational leadership, project management and criminal justice, in addition to his bachelor’s degree in recreational management. As the father of two young children, he understands the importance of equipping youth, their parents, and their communities with the knowledge and skills to enable young people to become the best version of themselves.

Spring Series: Tuesday nights (3/5 , 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9 ) from 6:30-8:30pm on Zoom

Guiding Good Choices (GGC) offers techniques and tools to help parents improve communication with their children; develop healthy family values and clear behavioral expectations; control and express anger constructively; strengthen family bonds and trust; and prevent children from engaging in substance use and other risky behaviors. Join our FREE workshops for parents and caregivers of children ages 9-14.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

Register here: https://forms.gle/gxjgyUP5N1MBnHKS7

In this free virtual course, hear from McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School experts as they delve into the realities of anxiety and OCD in children and teenagers, explore the crucial role that adults play in supporting young individuals, explain how to accurately diagnose conditions including anxiety, OCD, and ADHD, and educate around the most effective, proven methods of treatment available for young people.

This course is free to all attendees. Continuing education credits are available for a small fee.

Join us: March 21, 2024 @ 10am-2:30pm ET

Register here

Understanding Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
Mills Smith-Millman, Ph.D.
March 8th 9:00 AM-10:00 AM
Learning objectives:
1. Understand the current political and mental health landscape affecting transgender and non-binary youth
2. Define key terms like gender identity, gender expression, and gender attribution
3. Learn ways to support transgender and non-binary youth through social, medical, and/or legal transitions

Join by using this zoom link.

For additional webinars in March click here. Some other monthly webinars can be found here.

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new MPY Parenting Solutions Library. The MPY Parenting Solutions Library is offered at no charge, in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The trainings are presented by experts with advanced degrees and the trainings focus on child and adolescent development, including difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, racism, and grief. These trainings present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change

The Dan Kelly Foundation

Financial assistance for youth sports. (DK4) is committed to helping kids thrive by providing athletic opportunities for children of all ages, skill levels, and diverse backgrounds. We believe that sports can harness the power in kids by building character and confidence, teaching perseverance and teamwork, which ultimately fosters the development of skills needed for responsible citizenship

Sanborn Foundation

Financial assistance for Arlington residents living with cancer

Circle Camp is a summer camp program for female identifying kids 9-14yo who have experienced the death of a parent

Parent Support through PPAL (Parent/Professional Advocacy League) They offer workshops on a range of topics from navigating your child's IEP, to active parenting. The also have a series in Spanish.

Winter Brochures

Arlington Center for the Arts

Arlington Recreation Department

Arlington Boys and Girls Club

Fidelity House Fall Program

**New this month

**Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE) - has immediate openings for Parent Coaching. Click Here for the link to AANE Parent Coaching.

The Concord Center is excited to announce that they are now running an Accelerated Outpatient Program (AOP) for adolescents with moderate to severe anxiety disorders and/or obsessive compulsive disorders. For more information, please use this link.

Additionally they offer individual and group services including:

• Adolescent DBT Skills Group

• Multifamily DBT Skills Group

• Parent DBT Skills Group

• Advanced DBT Skills Integration Groups

• DBT 101 Program (Summer only)

• DBT for the Transition to College Group (Summer only)

• SPACE Parent Group

• Adolescent Unified Protocol Group

• PEERS Social Skills Group

Looking for child psychiatric services? This practice is new in Lexington and accepting new patients. They are out of network for most insurance carriers. ReThink Minds

Ottoson School Counseling- many great resources are linked here, including previous newsletters.

Massachusetts Launched a new Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) to serve as an entry point for timely, high-quality and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including routine appointments, urgent visits, and 24/7 community-based crisis intervention as an alternative to hospital emergency departments. CBHCs receive enhanced state funding through alternative payment models to support flexible, person-centered treatment.

Community Supports (Food, Mental Health, Housing, etc.)

Greater Massachusetts Special Needs Events

McLean Child OP Services has immediate openings for teens. Here is their December Newsletter. Their Group and Bridge services are insurance based, while their Anxiety Mastery Program and DBT Program are hybrid insurance and fee for service

Cartwheel Care

Services are available to all Arlington Public Schools students and families.

Services are virtual and include short-term individual and group therapy, parent/caregiver

consultation. Following an initial session, additional services may include medication evaluation

and prescription, and longer-term outpatient referral support.

Referrals to Cartwheel Care go through your student’s school counselor

Parent Support Groups are offered through Child Therapy Boston.

Their therapists understand the unique position that parents are in. Parenting kids with anxiety, dysregulation, ADHD, Mood Disorders, and challenges with school or peer relationships can be hard. Traditional advice, books, and parenting “methods” don’t always apply to the unique situations you might find yourselves in.

IMPORTANT NEWS for RISING 9th GRADE PARENTS

Its is time to select your child's 9th grade courses. Please click on this link to the website to look at courses and have conversations with your student about your plans (e.g. what Maths level or electives you would want to take etc.). The presentations to students and guardians are also posted on the website. The window for course selection is roughly 2/20-3/4.