Are you considering counseling but not sure if it’s the right step for you? Schedule a clinical consultation with Positive Directions and let our experienced team help guide you. We’ll take the time to understand your unique needs and recommend the best course of action for your mental health journey. Don’t wait any longer, take the first step towards a happier and healthier life today.

Positive Directions has great updates to share! In this blog post: "From Struggle to Strength": a high school senior reflects Virtual Cannabis Speaker Series starts Monday! Red Ribbon Week National Drug Takeback Day CT Support Group Discord Halloween Movie Watch Party! We're Hiring! NAMI CT Educational Conference Youth Voice: Mental Illness Awareness Week reflection From Struggle to Strength: Holding Onto Progress in a New School Year , by Rylie Peterson, Prevention Intern & PTECH senior While the new school year is underway, many of us are still adjusting to new routines and responsibilities—an experience that can bring unexpected challenges. The transition from the calm of summer to the demands of a new academic year isn’t always easy, and for those navigating mental health struggles, it can feel especially heavy. My own journey with mental health began in middle school, when I first experienced anxiety attacks. At the time, the idea of seeking help felt daunting, and I avoided it. But as the difficulties continued, I realized that I couldn’t manage on my own. By eighth grade, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression—ironically, the same challenges that initially pushed me away from therapy eventually brought me back. In ninth grade, I began treatment through therapy and medication, and over time, I started to make real progress. Now, as a senior, I don’t attend therapy as frequently—not because everything is perfect, but because I’ve developed tools that help me navigate difficult moments more independently. When I began writing this, I hadn’t fully grasped the intensity of senior year. Summer often brings a sense of relief—a feeling that things might be different when school starts again. And in the first few weeks, there’s usually a sense of optimism. But as the reality of responsibilities sets in, the pressure can build quickly. For me, this means juggling college applications, demanding classes, heavy workloads, and extracurriculars that consume most of my time. Within a few weeks, I found myself overwhelmed—facing a wave of depression I hadn’t felt in months. It’s been a difficult reminder that healing isn’t linear. Even after meaningful progress, setbacks can and do happen. But I’ve learned to lean on the coping strategies that continue to support me: taking walks, journaling, listening to music, practicing mindfulness, and reaching out to those I trust. These habits don’t fix everything, but they help me stay grounded. I may not feel entirely “okay” right now—but I know I’ve come a long way. Progress isn’t always obvious in the moment, but it’s still happening. And that’s worth holding onto. I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t always face these challenges on your own—and I would never wish that struggle on anyone. I strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of the many resources available right in our community. Within the Norwalk schools, there are counselors from the Kids in Crisis TeenTalk program , from Mid-Fairfield Community Care Center , and through the School-Based Health Centers—all free of charge. And beyond school, there’s the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the 741741 Crisis Text Line , which are available 24/7. You’re never alone in this—help is here, and it’s okay to reach for it. Prevention Department News Cannabis Speaker Series Starts Monday with Dr. Joe Feuerstein Join us for the first event in our regional speaker series focused on cannabis & youth, organized through our Mid-Fairfield Youth Cannabis Prevention Project. Dr. Feuerstein, the President of the Fairfield County Medical Association, will kick off the series with " The Cannabis Conversation: Balancing Adult Use, Youth Risk, and Family Impact ." Join us online on October 20th at 7pm. Download the flyer for the 5-part speaker series here: National Red Ribbon Week The last week of October is Red Ribbon Week--an annual awareness week encouraging parents of young children to start talking early and often about substances. With increasing numbers of poison control calls due to kids ingesting cannabis from edibles, you can't start too early! Through our local prevention coalitions, we'll be providing activities for families with young children. In Westport, look for our activity placemats at participating restaurants and at the annual Costume Parade, and in Norwalk, our TNP Teens will be facilitating an interactive event for children where we will also provide parents with handbooks and safe storage items, such as lockbags and liquor stickers. Download the Westport RRW placemat here to use to spark conversation with young children around trusted adults, coping skills, healthy behaviors, and taking care of your brain and body: National Drug Takeback Day National Drug Takeback Day is coming up on Saturday, October 25th, from 10am-2pm! Twice a year, this is an opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinet to get rid of unneeded or expired medications. Keeping medications around creates a risk of experimentation and of accidental or purposeful overdose, so we encourage everyone to safely dispose of anything you no longer need--and to keep your medications locked up year-round! Safe disposal means keeping meds out of our water supply, so no flushing! You can bring your medications to the local dropbox at your police station 24/7, or to the Drug Takeback Day dropoff at the Westport Center for Senior Activities. You can also use a Deterra bag (available from Positive Directions, your local prevention council, or your health department) to safely deactivate your drugs and then drop the bag in the trash. Peer Support Updates for October CT Support Group Halloween Movie Watch Party - October 29th Looking for a spooky way to spend your Wednesday night? Join CT Support Group on Discord to watch a Halloween movie on Wednesday October 29th at 8pm! We’ll be in the watch party voice channel with our snack! Haven’t joined our Discord yet? Head to bit.ly/ctsgdiscord to join! Want to learn more about the server? Click here for answers to commonly asked questions! Seeking Peer Support Specialists! We are looking for a part-time Peer Support Specialist for the CT Support Group project. For more information about the position, click the button below! Clinical Updates We're Hiring! Positive Directions is looking for two clinicians to join our team and support our community. Please click the link below to visit our Careers page and find out more if interested! Other News    NAMI CT Educational Conference - October 24th NAMI Connecticut proudly celebrates 40 years of unwavering advocacy, education, and support for individuals and families impacted by mental illness. Join for an inspiring event that brings together mental health professionals, peers, caregivers, advocates, and community leaders from across Connecticut. Themed “Building Hope Together,” the 2025 NAMI Connecticut Conference is more than just a gathering — it is a powerful movement toward building a brighter future for mental health. Register today to secure your spot in the educational breakout sessions!

Please click here or scan the QR code below to donate to Positive Directions! Dear friends, It is with great excitement and urgency that I am writing to you as the new Interim Executive Director of Positive Directions . For the past year I served on the board of directors leading our strategic plan and creating a renewed vision. We are a small nonprofit organization with an outsized impact – an innovator in mental health . I’m proud that we alone offer free 1:1 peer support for youth, and that we offer free lifesaving support groups (SMART Recovery, Alternatives to Suicide), while remaining committed to never turning anyone away from counseling services due to their inability to pay. I’m writing to ask for your help to maintain our ability to offer these vital services to all persons in need.  In these turbulent times,   mental health has never been more important . People are anxious, confused and tired. We feel tested on all levels. Yet as our world has grown more complicated, Positive Directions  has focused and deepened our commitment to our communities. Our mission is simple and urgent: to be innovative community leaders in mental health, substance prevention, and peer support , and to strengthen the mental wellbeing of all. With the threat of the loss of government and federal funding (over 50% of our annual budget), your support is more essential than ever. Thanks to the support of donors like you, we can continue   providing essential and affordable counseling and peer support services to those in need  - enabling us to never turn anyone away because of their inability to pay for services.   Last year we experienced a 15% increase in requests for counseling services for youth . In response, we added staff, programming, and renovated space for a children’s play therapy room.  Hired Melanie DeLapp, LMFT , our new Clinical Director, who focuses on kids and specializes in OCD, anxiety, specific phobias, school avoidance, and eating disorders. Launched the Mid-Fairfield Youth Cannabis Prevention Project , a regional capacity-building initiative working with local governments, law enforcement, and schools. Launched CTSupportGroup.org - the next generation of our TurningPointCT.org project - as an online platform developed by young people in CT to provide connection, peer support, and community. The rising demand for our services underscores the need for your donations to deliver clinical, prevention, and peer support  to all members of our community, regardless of their financial situation. You can make a tax deductible donation  through our website, scan this QR code, or mail a check to Positive Directions, 90 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06880 . We also invite you to consider including us in your company’s corporate matching program. To learn more about Positive Directions’ impact on the community, visit PositiveDirections.org or follow us on Instagram @positivedrctns. Thank you for being a vital part of our vision to improve mental wellbeing for individuals and communities. Your support is critical to make a tangible difference in the lives of many. With gratitude, Jessica Branson, Interim Executive Director “My therapist has been an excellent listener. She has given me lifesaving tools and has made my journey into a “we,” making me feel safe.” - Positive Directions Client

Positive Directions has great updates to share! In this blog post: Meet our new Interim Executive Director, Jessica Branson Parenting Pressures panel discussion on September 15 Welcome to our TNP Coalition Coordinator, Marsha Elbourne Suicide Awareness & Recovery Month updates & free training Community events CT Support Group Games Night for youth and young adults on September 27 Agency News Welcome to our Interim Executive Director, Jessica Branson! Jess joins Positive Directions as Interim Executive Director. Her upbringing in a family of empathetic healers and devoted community leaders instilled in her the importance of listening, nurturing, and empowering others. These values have guided her 25+ years of experience in business, media and marketing strategy for fortune 100 companies and her own growth consultancy. Read her full bio here . Welcome to Jess! PD Staff Summer Picnic PD staff wrapped the summer up with our annual staff celebration picnic. We thanked our staff for all their hard work with games and a tasty lunch. Thank you for all that you do, team! Prevention Department Updates Parenting Pressures: Navigating Challenges and Achieving Balance Last year, the US Surgeon General put out an advisory highlighting how tough parenting is these days. In response, we've partnered with The Westport Library to organize a panel of local mental health experts, followed by small breakout groups where people can share and learn about supports and resources. This event will be moderated by our Prevention Director, Margaret Watt, and our Clinical Director, Melanie DeLapp, will be one of the speakers. Free Suicide Prevention Training September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month -- an annual reminder that we should all be prepared to recognize and respond to someone who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. We will hold our bimonthly free Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) training on September 25th from 12-1:30 as a lunch & learn. Coffee & snacks provided. Please sign up! Introducing Our TNP New Coalition Coordinator, Marsha Elbourne Marsha comes to Positive Directions from a career in marketing, where she spent over two decades working as a copywriter and creative director at agencies in Fairfield County and New York City, crafting strategies, ideas, and content for well-known brands. As mother of a 14 year old, she looks forward to working with Norwalk youth to promote mental health & prevent underage substance use. Read her bio here , and welcome to Marsha! Community Events We had a great (if rainy!) time recently at the annual Norwalk Night Out organized by the Norwalk Police Department, as well as the Ross Summer Social organized by the Norwalk Housing Authority. Our activities raised awareness and we were able to distribute parenting materials, lockbags, Narcan, and more. Stop by and visit us at one of our upcoming events: On September 13, we'll be at Slice of Saugatuck , with tables both for the Westport Prevention Coalition and for Positive Directions. Stop by for homemade cookies by Melanie, our Clinical Director! On September 20, we'll be tabling for The Norwalk Partnership at the all-day St Philip Fall Festival in Norwalk. And we'll be at the back-to-school nights at Coleytown, Bedford, and Staples as well! Peer Support Updates for September: Suicide Awareness & Recovery Month Candlelight Vigil We were honored to again be a part of the annual Suicide Awareness Month candlelight vigil organized by  My Friend Abby  in Trumbull. People shared stories of loss and resilience, along with sharing resources. It was a heartfelt and heart-warming event, as always. Free Peer-Led Supports for Those Struggling with Thoughts of Suicide For Suicide Awareness Month, we encourage everyone to please share our flyer identifying a multitude of amazing, free, underrecognized peer-based resources to support people with suicidal thoughts. No one needs to struggle alone--help is available. Please download and share our Suicide Supports in CT flyer. Our own Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su for short) support group meets online every Tuesday at 7pm. Recovery Month September is also Recovery Month. Our SMART Recovery and SMART Family & Friends groups continue to meet weekly to offer skills building and peer support to those seeking to make positive changes in their life. SMART Recovery Struggling with substance misuse, addictive behaviors, or mental health? In our free SMART Recovery support group, a trained peer facilitator will guide you in using evidence-based tools to learn skills: Build and maintain your motivation to change Learn to cope with urges Manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors Live a balanced life Discover the Power of Choice! SMART Family & Friends Do you have a loved one struggling with unhealthy or addictive behaviors? SMART Family & Friends is a free support group based on the CRAFT model, which has been shown to be the most effective way of assisting a loved one to recognize they need help. With SMART Family & Friends, you will: Develop skills to help you cope Get support from others Learn effective communication skills to help your loved one Restore balance in your own life CT Support Group Games Night If you're a teen or young adult in CT looking to meet folks your age and grow your community, you don't want to miss this! Our CT Support Group project is hosting the monthly game night on Saturday 9/27 from 7-9pm on Discord! Join the CT Support Group team for a night of laughter, competition, and connection. Visit bit.ly/ctsgdiscord to join the server!

Positive Directions is a non-profit behavioral health organization providing prevention, counseling, medication management, and support groups to adolescents and adults struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. Games We’re on a mission to help kids, teens, and families learn more about substance use and how to stay safe through fun and interactive games! Pick the ones that match your age and see how much you already know. You’ll discover cool facts, test your smarts, and explore smart ways to make healthy choices. Let’s level up your knowledge and power up your future! Click below to play some games! Kids Substance Misuse Prevention Coping with Stress Youth Take care of your body Coping with Stress Teens National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge Coping with Stress This curriculum, material, and/or resource was developed by the Stanford REACH Lab, a Stanford research lab focused on promoting adolescent and young adult health through collaborative research, education, and advocacy. Questions Kids Ask! Check out these videos of kids talking to experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) What is Addiction? Why are drugs so hard to quit? What is the worst drug? Parents, if you want to find out about more resources that can support your kids, check these out: Talk. They Hear You (free app from SAMHSA) OperationParent.org DrugFree.org

Positive Directions is a non-profit behavioral health organization providing prevention, counseling, medication management, and support groups to adolescents and adults struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. Positive Directions The Center for Prevention & Counseling Transforming Perspectives, Embracing Mental Wellbeing for All Founded over 50 years ago by people in recovery from alcohol use disorder, Positive Directions today is a non-profit behavioral health organization providing a continuum of prevention, counseling, and peer supports to individuals and families struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. We believe strongly that "prevention works, treatment is effective, and recovery is possible." Our staff is the best: talented, warm, caring, and effective. We recognize that our clients and communities put their trust in us, and we honor your trust by giving you our very best, from individual counseling to peer support to prevention education to community-wide initiatives that foster wellbeing. We work to remove financial barriers and to provide supports beyond clinical treatment to ensure that individuals can lead healthy, successful lives in supportive communities. Meet Our Team Home: Welcome What We Do Community Prevention: As innovative community leaders, we build coalitions and guide our local and regional partners in creating healthier environments that support mental wellbeing and prevent risky behaviors. Our work includes conducting surveys to identify challenges and at-risk populations, providing prevention education, developing community-wide initiatives that respond to the needs, creating supports and alternatives, improving policies, and much more. Our focal communities are in the mid-Fairfield County area. Outpatient Treatment: Our clinical team provides in-person and virtual counseling to children, teens, adults, and families struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Our clinicians help clients to develop coping skills and build resilience, while also providing additional connections to peer support and prevention education. We accept HUSKY and commercial insurances, and we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. Clients can be seen in-person at our Westport location or through virtual appointments. We also have counselors located at two local high schools. We have clinicians licensed to practice in Connecticut, New York and New Hampshire. Peer & Recovery Support: Recognizing the importance of peer-to-peer support, we offer several free online support groups, all of which are led by trained facilitators with lived experience: SMART Recovery, SMART Recovery Family & Friends, Alternatives to Suicide, and Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support. Our CT Support Group project is an online platform where youth and young adults can find connections, build community, learn about peer supports and groups around the state, and even access direct one-on-one peer support, either online or live, from our Recovery Support Specialist. Teletherapy Login Community Prevention Outpatient Counseling Peer/Recovery Support Coalition Work & Trainings Therapeutic Options Peer Support & Free Groups Follow Us! Facebook Instagram Contact Us Positive Directions 90 Post Road West Westport, CT 06880 info@positivedirections.org Tel: 203-227-7644 Fax: 203-227-0037 Name Full Address Email Phone Best way to reach you Phone Email Best time to reach you Morning (9AM-1PM) Afternoon (1PM-5PM) Subject Message Submit Thanks for submitting!

Positive Directions is a non-profit behavioral health organization providing prevention, counseling, medication management, and support groups to adolescents and adults struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. Our Free Support Groups Support Groups: Service Our current support groups are listed below. We add new ones from time to time so check back! And check out The Hub's regional list of peer support groups here . There are groups for individuals who are struggling and separate groups for their family & friends who are also affected. Alternatives to Suicide Support Group Every Tuesday at 7pm A free, non-judgmental, non-clinical, peer-led, and confidential drop-in space where people can share difficult thoughts and feelings around suicidal ideation / experience or self harm without being assumed to have an illness and without fear of involuntary intervention. Our group meets virtually via Zoom, every Tuesday night. Click below to get the link. For other peer-led suicide prevention meetings and supports, see our Suicide Prevention resources. Click Here for the Zoom Link Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group Every Other Thursday at 10 am via zoom Our Alzheimer caregivers’ support group is a lifeline for families. It is a place to turn to for advice and encouragement to help feel connected and give caregivers a sense of belonging and purpose. The group helps put our own experiences living with dementia in perspective and provides support and encouragement to move beyond a diagnosis. We share feelings confidentially, make friends, get help navigating the health care and legal systems, and learn from one another. To learn more, call or text Tom at 203-216-1800. RSVP SMART Friends & Family Group Thursdays from 6pm-7pm on Zoom SMART Recovery Family & Friends is a free weekly support group to provide people with the tools they need to effectively support their loved one, without supporting that person's addictive or harmful behaviors. SMART F&F is based on the CRAFT model , which is effective at helping someone acknowledge they need treatment. This weekly group will help you develop the coping skills you need and allow you to regain your peace of mind. Click for Zoom link 1:1 Peer Support for Teens and Young Adults By Appointment Our CT Support Group project manager, Quinn, is offering free individual peer support to teens and young adults in Connecticut. Quinn is a young adult Recovery Support Specialist trained in Intentional Peer Support. They draw from their own experiences to connect with participants and support them in moving towards their goals. To meet with Quinn, email qjannetty@positivedirections.org or text (475) 999-2605. Get in Touch SMART Recovery (Adult Group) Tuesdays from 6pm-7pm on Zoom Looking to break free of negative self-talk or harmful habits, or to cope with anxiety or addiction? SMART Recovery can help. SMART Recovery is a free facilitated weekly support group where you will learn practical psychology-based tools and gain social supports to help you create successful, long-term, changes in your life. SMART Recovery teaches you how to: build and maintain the motivation to change; cope with urges; manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviors; and ultimately live a balanced life. RSVP on our Events page to be on the email list, or get the link below: Click here for the Zoom link