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. The CT Support Group Project Created by & for young people in CT Our CT Support Group project is Connecticut's online, peer-developed resource for young people seeking safe spaces to connect with others, build community, share and vent together, and access peer supports when they may be struggling with mental health, substance use, or other challenges. The CT Support Group platforms include a new (as of January 2025) Discord platform where teens and young adults can connect with others, as well as a website with a Q&A guide, media room, map, and blog posts related to mental wellness, and of course a variety of social platforms. All of it is created by and for young people in Connecticut! We encourage young people to join the Discord to meet and connect with others and build community. Our CT Support Group Project Manager, Quinn Jannetty (they/them), is a trained Recovery Support Specialist who is also available to offer free one-on-one peer support to teens or young adults throughout the state, both through regular Discord hours and on demand. Email Quinn at qjannetty@positivedirections.org for more info. Download/Share Project Flier Visit website Peer Support Flier

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. Suicide Prevention Every suicide is a tragedy that has a lifelong impact on friends and family and often ripples out into the broader community. Yet suicides can be prevented when people are aware of the warning signs and proactive in starting what may be a life-saving conversation... and when timely treatment and supports are available. Positive Directions's role includes providing training to raise awareness of warning signs and how to respond, promoting mental health, and providing Alternatives to Suicide, free peer support, and/or counseling to those who are struggling. We also are a key player in the Crisis & Suicide Postvention Response teams in the communities we serve and are active in the Regional Suicide Advisory Board. Free Support Groups For people who experience frequent thoughts of suicide, there are many free, peer-led options available, as complements or alternatives to traditional therapy: Here at Positive Directions, we offer a free, weekly, virtual Alternatives to Suicide support group on Tuesdays at 7pm. On Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85226163499 Toivo runs Alternatives to Suicide support groups on Wednesdays from 5-6:30pm in Hartford, facilitated by a Positive Directions staff member. RIPPLE offers a free, late-night suicidal ideation support group on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights from 8pm-9:30pm. Info here . NAMI CT offers free in-person Out of the Abyss support groups monthly in Bridgeport, Torrington, West Hartford, and Willimantic as well as a group that meets every 2 weeks in New Haven. Since July 2024, New Life has been operating CT's first peer-run respite: The Gloria House , in New Britain. It's a free, voluntary place to stay where a person experiencing an emotional crisis can stay for a few days as an alternative to a psychiatric hospitalization. For those who have lost a loved one to suicide, there are free online suicide loss support groups several times a month: • 1st Mondays at 7:30PM. Virtual. Run by SupportEachOther.org in Greenwich. • 2nd Wednesdays from 7PM – 8:30PM. Virtual, run by My Friend Abby in Trumbull. Email gillian@myfriendabby.org or t oddfellegy@gmail.com • 3rd Mondays from 7:30PM – 9:30PM. Call Diane at 720- 838-3880 or Marianne at 203-400-2453, or reach out to DLSCO@ aol.com Suicide Prevention Training Positive Directions can provide mental health and suicide related education to workplaces, community groups, and the general public. Contact Margaret to schedule a training, or watch our events page to sign up for the next program. Trainings are available in English or Spanish. Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) : A 1.5 hour skills training providing awareness, a 3-step process, and role play to practice the skills needed to recognize and reach out to someone in need. Limited to 30 participants at a time. Can be combined with an overdose/Narcan training (1/2 hour extra). We provide this training to students in the Norwalk and Westport high schools each year, and we offer an in-person training open to the general public on last Fridays, six times per year. (Sign up for the bimonthly training on our Events page .) Group trainings are also available on demand in the communities we serve. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) : a certification course good for 3 years. Course involves 2 hours of pre-work online, followed by a live training session of 4.5 hours. Hotlines & Warmlines If you or someone you know is currently in an urgent suicidal crisis, dial 211, option 1 to access CT's regional mobile crisis service or 911 for your local first responder team. You can also call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 from anywhere. These hotlines are available 24/7. There are many free 24/7 resources people can call to talk with a trained supporter about any type of emotional issue, not just suicide. There are hotlines related to substance misuse, gender/sexual identity, sexual assault, domestic violence, and more. Download and share our resource lists with family. Also note that warmlines are also available, usually not 24/7. Warmlines are often staffed by people with lived experience, often volunteers, and can be a great way of connecting with someone who truly empathizes and understands what someone is going through. Be sure you & everyone in your family has the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) Crisis Text Line (741741) and/or other relevant hotlines or warmlines saved in your phone!

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. Donate We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your support, no matter how small or how large, will make a difference! Prevention & Education Support our community-based work to prevent substance misuse and suicide and bring mental health awareness to our communities. Donate Treatment Fund Help those who can't afford counseling to get the help they need. Donate CT Support Group Support CT Support Group, our online peer-developed resource for teens & young adults in CT who are struggling with mental health, substance use, or other challenges. Donate Support Groups Offset the cost of a support group. We offer free weekly groups related to suicide, recovery, and more. Donate General Donation Provide a donation for use where it's most needed. We appreciate your support for our organization! Donate Thank you so much for your support!

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. Counseling Outpatient counseling for adolescent and adult mental health and substance use If you are in immediate crisis, please dial 2-1-1 for mobile crisis or 911 for your local first responders. Be sure to add the Crisis Text Line (741741) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) in your and your family members' phones. For immediate help in accessing detox, call CT's Substance Use Access Line: 800-563-4086. Teletherapy Login Positive Directions is a leading non-profit behavioral health facility located in Westport, CT, serving both adolescents and adults. Our outpatient clinic is licensed by the CT Department of Public Health and the CT Department of Children and Families for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. Our outstanding reputation reflects 50 years of experience in meeting the needs of the communities we serve. We provide individual outpatient counseling to adolescents and adults, and can work with families as an adjunct to individual counseling. We also offer free recovery groups to our clients and their supporters, as well as short-term one-on-one peer support for youth and young adults . We see clients in person at our private and serene setting in downtown Westport, as well as online, where we serve clients throughout the state. Our clients benefit from an outstanding team of dedicated licensed clinicians who are empathetic, knowledgeable, and experienced in working with a variety of behavioral health challenges. Areas of Expertise Payment Options Areas of Expertise Anxiety Addiction Depression Grief Mood Disorders Problem Gambling Counseling: What We Do Payment Options We work hard to help people in need access behavioral healthcare regardless of their ability to pay Counseling: List Commercial Insurance Positive Directions accepts most forms of commercial insurance, including: Aetna Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Cigna Golden Rule Harvard Pilgrim Oxford Health Plans UMR United Healthcare If your insurance company isn't listed, we can help you determine whether your insurance plan offers out-of-network behavioral health benefits. Give us a call and we will help you determine your out-of-network eligibility. Public Insurance We proudly accept both: HUSKY Health/Medicaid Medicare Other Options We offer a sliding-fee scale for those in need. We are grateful to our donors who have enabled us to create a Treatment Fund to support eligible clients. If you have the means to contribute to the Treatment Fund, please know that your donations are gratefully accepted and enable people to receive or continue treatment at a difficult time in their lives! We accept private pay.

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 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. Karen Krupnik, MS, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Karen joined Positive Directions with a wealth of experience providing counseling services in the non-profit sector. Her approach to counseling is to help her clients make sense of the difficulties they are facing and enhance their coping skills, so they can feel better and enjoy their lives more. She works together with her clients to figure out what’s interfering with their well-being and, in turn, how to address it. She often utilizes a strengths-based approach, helping her clients to understand themselves better by discovering what strengths they have and developing new ones as well as by accepting or changing their problem areas. Karen is experienced in working with individuals, couples, and families, ranging from adolescents to adults. She has worked with clients dealing with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, substance misuse, sleep difficulties, relationships, anger management, psychosis, and more. Additionally, she has helped clients through major life transitions: divorce, job loss, death of a loved one, medical diagnoses, and becoming a parent. Karen has a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairfield University. Her post-graduate training covered trauma, grief and loss, veterans’ issues, mindfulness, problem gambling and gender issues, among others. She tailors her approach to each individual and draws upon many types of therapy including CBT, Solution-Focused, DBT, Stages of Change, and Schema therapy. Karen can be reached via e-mail at kkrupnik@positivedirections.org . Or reached by phone at 203-227-7644 ext 834 Psychology Today Karen Krupnik, MS, LPC: Team Members

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. Therell Mayes Social Media Assistant Therell joined TurningPointCT as their Social Media Assistant in September 2021. He is a young adult who wants to help other young adults who are struggling with mental health like he has. Therell is a student at Norwalk Community College, majoring in Liberal Arts & Science. His experience with social media began as a hobby in middle school. Since then, he has learned how to use various social media platforms to promote his photography, music, and YouTube videos. Therell loves to write screenplays, poetry, and lyrics as well as record music, photograph nature, and exercise. Therell can be contact via email at tmayes@positivedirections.org Therell Mayes: Team Members

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. Vanessa Wilson, MA, LMFT Executive Director Vanessa joined Positive Directions in July of 2021 eager to continue her work in the nonprofit sector. In the ten years prior, Vanessa worked for YWCA Greenwich, Domestic Abuse Services, most recently as Manager of Operations overseeing delivery of high-quality programs and services to victim-survivors of domestic violence. Vanessa managed a team of professional counselors through trauma-informed leadership and served as interim director for the agency. She participated in several leadership groups including a multi-disciplinary team for child abuse and sexual assault, the CAN (Coordinated Access Network) Leadership team, and the Greenwich domestic violence working group. Vanessa is known for her collaborative approach, ability to foster positive relationships with community stakeholders, and focus on strategic growth. Vanessa obtained her MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University in 2012 and shortly thereafter became licensed and opened a private practice in Darien, CT. Using a variety of family systems therapy models, Vanessa treated individuals, couples and families with a myriad of clinical concerns. Vanessa brings her clinical background in mental health and organizational leadership experience to Positive Directions and looks forward to furthering the agency’s mission and vision. When Vanessa is not at work, you will likely find her suiting up for a softball game with the CT Storm semi-pro women’s slow pitch team hailing from Wilton, CT, snowboarding in the Catskills or spending time with her husband and two daughters. Vanessa can be reached by email at: vwilson@positivedirections.org or by phone at 203-227-7644 ext. 823. Vanessa Wilson, MA, LMFT: Team Members

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. Substance Use Prevention Most people don't misuse substances: a large majority of teens and about 1/3 of adults do not use alcohol or other drugs at all. Positive Directions helps the communities we work with to understand who is using which drugs and under what conditions. We can then develop awareness, education, support, and environmental strategies to create positive community norms and help those who are most at risk. Most of our prevention work focuses on preventing substance use by teens, although we also support efforts among young adults and beyond. Below we share some important facts about today's substance use trends, along with resources for parents. For more information, please contact us , or consider joining your Local Prevention Coalition (LPC) or following us and your LPC on social media. Info & Resources Marijuana As of July 2021, marijuana is now legal for adult use in CT, although it will not be for sale until 2022. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that the drug has been engineered to be much stronger than in past decades, that it is addictive, and that it is particularly risky for teens since it affects brain development. Know the facts! We've updated our presentation on "The New Marijuana & Today's Youth" to include a few slides about the recent legalization of adult cannabis use in CT and the implications for prevention. Here's our blog post & press release about celebrating the 4th of July safely right after marijuana possession was legalized for adults over 21. Check out our Top 10 Facts everyone should know about the new marijuana, read a Q&A, get factsheets and watch videos on the marijuana page of The Norwalk Partnership, our community coalition in Norwalk. Watch our April 2021 presentation on "The New Marijuana and Today's Youth" to the Westport Prevention Coalition (22 minutes). Check out the marijuana page at DrugFreeCT.org . Visit the State of CT's cannabis website following the legalization of retail marijuana. Learn more at CDC's marijuana website . Alcohol Alcohol remains the most used drug among adults and youth, and binge drinking is common, especially on college campuses. Watch the Feb. 2021 "Power of Parents" presentation on underage drinking by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to our local prevention coalitions (1 hr). Get resources from the MADD parenting handbooks. Get high school parent handbook here ; middle school parent handbook here . Check out the two-part Q&A on Teen Drinking and Responsible Drinking, and get infographics and handouts, on the alcohol page of The Norwalk Partnership , our prevention coalition in Norwalk. The NIH's Rethinking Drinking website has great information and resources for those interested in cutting back or quitting drinking. Here's CDC's 2020 Alcohol-Impaired Driving in CT factsheet . Learn more at CDC's alcohol website . Vaping In 2019, CT passed the Tobacco 21 law, making all forms of vaping, cigarettes and nicotine delivery systems illegal for anyone under 21. While vaping among teens has decreased, some continue to vape due to being addicted and some have turned to cigarettes instead. Among adults who began using vapes to quit smoking, many have simply transferred their addiction to vaping although some have been successful. Check out this June 2021 webinar on vaping by PAVE and The Hub. Watch our Vaping 101 slideshow. Check out this parents' guide to vaping , developed by a group of prevention coalitions in CT. Get resources & webinars from Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes (PAVE) . Learn the latest trends, research, and policies from the Truth Initiative . Learn more at CDC's vaping website . Prescription Drugs Most people are now aware that prescription pain management drugs like Percoset are opioids, which are highly addictive. The opioid epidemic in this country includes both prescription opioids and illicit opioids like heroin. Increasingly, the extremely dangerous drug fentanyl is present in heroin as well as in black-market counterfeit drugs. However, other prescription drugs such as benzos (e.g. Xanax) and ADHD drugs (e.g., Ritalin) are also commonly misused: overused, shared or borrowed, or purchased illegally. Benzos are addictive and very hard to quit. Visit DrugFreeCT's pages on opioids and other drugs. Preventing Rx drug abuse starts with keeping any drugs at home locked up so no one can access them illicitly. If you have leftover medications, safely dispose of them using a Deterra bag (which we can provide) or bring them to the medication dropbox at your local police department. Check out the state's Change the Script resources, aimed at decreasing the number and strength of opioid prescriptions. Visit the LiveLOUD website for resources for those with an opioid addiction, or LiveLOUD Families for those affected by a loved one with an opioid use disorder. Positive Directions can provide community members and groups with education on opioids and how to administer Naloxone (Narcan) to reverse an opioid overdose. We can provide Deterra bags for safe disposal of unused medications as well as Narcan kits, through our regional partner organization, The Hub. Contact Margaret . Families & Educators Research shows that parents have the greatest influence on their teens' decisions about drug use (even if it doesn't feel that way!) So: Talk early and often with your kids. Be clear that you do not support any use of alcohol and other drugs and what the consequences would be. Make sure your liquor and medications are locked up. Below are a few recommended websites for parents & teachers. Operation Prevention from the DEA has English & Spanish curriculum for grades 3-12 plus parent resources. Operation Parent has webinars and other resources for families. DrugFree.org offers guides on today's drugs, how to talk to your kids about different drugs, what to do if you find out your child has been using substances, and more. English & Spanish. DrugFreeCT.org provides drug-by-drug information and resources specific to CT. Check out our Q&A for parents from the parenting page on The Norwalk Partnership website , our prevention coalition in Norwalk. Government websites with activities, games & resources for educators, parents & kids: Just Think Twice , for teens Get Smart About Drugs , from the DEA Teen Drug Abuse site, with deep sections for teachers , parents , teens National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week Red Ribbon Week Contact Margaret to schedule a Hidden in Plain Sight training, where adults can walk through a mock teenager's bedroom to look for signs of drug use. Watch Christine Rutigliano's heartbreaking testimony about her son's cannabis addiction. As a result of cannabis use, her son suffers from cannabanoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) and has "thirteen emergency room visits under his belt."

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. Emily Melnick Survey Evaluator Emily Melnick, M.A. is an independent evaluation consultant and principal of Emily Melnick Consulting, LLC. During the past 20 years, Emily has conducted a wide variety of health and social service-related program evaluations at the federal, state, and community level. Emily has worked with diverse groups of non-profit agencies, local health departments and community coalitions, employing both qualitative analytic methods (focus group and structured interview facilitation and analysis) and quantitative methods (survey development and implementation) to assess progress towards multiple objectives over time. She works closely with her clients to establish realistic outcomes, and design systems to collect and analyze data to inform programmatic decision-making. As the local evaluation consultant for the Fairfield Cares Community Coalition, as well as three other community-based substance abuse prevention initiatives, Emily works with diverse stakeholders concerned with improving health outcomes throughout Connecticut. Emily’s recent work also leading local health departments through their national accreditation strategic planning process. Emily received a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration in 1996. Emily Melnick: Team Members

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. Clarice Grens, APRN Clarice received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Western Connecticut State University and my Master’s Degree from Fairfield University. She spent her career working in mental health and oncology. She has been a nurse practitioner for many years in local hospitals and at the West Haven VA. Clarice prides herself on being a patience, empathic and introspective practitioner who views clients in a holistic manner. Her work is a team effort where she engages together to find optimal solutions to mental health issues and come up with a treatment plan that embraces all facets of a client's life. She is a prudent and meticulous prescriber of medication when clinically indicated and feels medication can provide a useful purpose in delivering relief to clients. She feels both medication and therapy are most effective. Clarice provides medication management for symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, antepartum and postpartum, body acceptance, self-esteem issues, and mood disorders. She also provides genetic testing, EMDR, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and NADA ear acupuncture. She can help you to build on your gifts and talents to energize you to achieve your goals. Her goal is to help create a therapeutic balance for every individual with respect, compassion, and professionalism.

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. Karlene Barnett, MS, LADC, LPC-A Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor Karlene joined Positive Directions with experience providing individual and group psychotherapy in Early Childhood, Inpatient and Outpatient entities. She previously served as a Clinician at Recovery Counseling Services in Bridgeport - a non-profit counseling agency. In those settings, she has helped adolescents and adults to work through and overcome challenges such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), grief, traumas, and substance abuse. Karlene also worked in collaboration with Court Officers in assessing clients for mental health disorders and identifying the right approach for treatment. Karlene utilizes a collaborative approach to help clients work towards their identified goals. She believes that her clients are the experts on their lives and, in turn, are the most important tool in their healing process. Karlene also believes that the client has the power to thicken their stories. Therefore she believes immensely in the Narrative Theory which helps the client to minimize their problems and rewrite their lives. In addition to also using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Karlene also believes in Spirituality which guides the client in their beliefs and walks them through stages that are important in their recovery. She offers to her clients an empathetic ear, a supportive environment, and the encouragement to realize their full potential. Karlene graduated with her Masters from the University of Bridgeport and is also the recipient of a Doctorate in Theology. In her spare time, Karlene serves as the Senior Pastor for a growing ministry in Stratford and serves on the Board of Directors for an International Ministry in the Tri-state area. She is devoted to spending quality time with her husband and two children by traveling, going to the movies and enjoying great seafood! Karlene can be reached by email at: kbarnett@positivedirections.org Or by phone at 203-227-7644 ext 838 Psychology Today Karlene Barnett, LADC, MS: Team Members