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. Community Surveys Over the years, Positive Directions has worked with the Local Prevention Councils (LPCs) in Fairfield, Norwalk, Weston, Westport, and Wilton to conduct surveys of youth, college students, and/or community members. This information allows our community coalitions to identify needs and develop plans that address local conditions and target high risk groups. Survey data also assists in seeking grants. Our survey work has allowed both Norwalk and Fairfield to be awarded the federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See recent data presentations below or contact us for additional data. Data Presentations 2021 Fairfield Youth Survey results: presentation to Board of Education Download Mental Health and Substance Use in Norwalk in 2021: presentation of community and youth survey findings to Common Council Download 2021 Norwalk Youth Survey results: combined presentation to Board of Education and The Norwalk Partnership Download 2021 Westport Youth Survey results: presentation to Board of Education and Westport Prevention Coalition Download

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. Careers CT Support Group Peer Support Specialist Our CT Support Group project is looking for a part-time Peer Support Specialist for the CT Support Group project. Young adults who are certified as peer support specialists (Recovery Support Specialists, Recovery Coaches) are strongly encouraged to apply. Occasional weekend or evening events. Some travel required. Get Job Description CT Support Group Volunteer Our CT Support Group project is looking for volunteers ages 15-29 from Connecticut to contribute content and help us grow our online mental health and peer support community. As a volunteer, you will help shape how we connect with young people across Connecticut through personal storytelling, social media, outreach, resource research, and engagement across all of our platforms (website, Discord, social media). There are many ways to be involved! Get Volunteer Description Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Positive Directions—The Center for Prevention and Counseling is seeking a LADC to provide a full range of counseling and support services to individuals and families affected by substance use disorders. Bilingual preferred. Part-time or full-time. Get Job Description Licensed Counselor, Independent Contractor (1099) (Bilingual preferred) Positive Directions—The Center for Prevention and Counseling is seeking an independent contractor to provide in person and/or telehealth sessions to our diverse client population. Bilingual preferred. Get Job Description We seek highly skilled applicants to work in our collaborative, inclusive environment. We actively work to foster belonging and empowerment in our staff.

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 Community Coalitions Prevention coalitions consist of volunteers representing the 12 sectors shown above, working together to prevent substance misuse and promote mental wellness in their community. Volunteers share what they know, learn about current issues, and help plan and carry out strategies and events. Read about our work with local coalitions (also known as Local Prevention Councils) below and contact Margaret if you'd like to get involved! In 2020-21, Positive Directions worked with several Local Prevention Councils in the area, playing a different role in each: The Norwalk Partnership Since seeking and receiving the federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant in December 2019 for our prevention work in Norwalk, Positive Directions partnered with the Human Services Council (which has state prevention funding) to create a new coalition: The Norwalk Partnership (TNP), which launched in September 2020. Positive Directions is leading TNP's data collection, strategies around alcohol and marijuana, and website and communications. Visit the website to learn about our Liquor Stickers campaign, youth & community surveys, and more, or to download slideshows and infographs. The Norwalk Partnership Website Fairfield CARES Community Coalition Positive Directions has managed the state's CT Strategic Prevention Framework Coalitions (CSC) grant for the Fairfield CARES Community Coalition for the past six years. Under this grant focused on underage drinking, Fairfield has successfully decreased youth alcohol consumption and raised awareness among youth and adults. Prior to the close of the grant in June 2021, our staff worked with the coalition to apply for a federal grant to sustain and expand the coalition's work. Fairfield CARES Website Westport Prevention Coalition Positive Directions coordinates the Westport Prevention Coalition and serves as its fiduciary for the Local Prevention Council (LPC) and State Opioid Response (SOR) grants, working as part of a town-school-community partnership known as Westport Together. During the pandemic we have been able to conduct focus groups and a community and youth survey, provide online trainings, develop a postcard series aimed at parents of middle and high school students, and provide online information campaigns related to vaping and opioids. Westport Together Website Alcohol & Drug Awareness Program of Weston We have helped ADAP identify data needs and plan for a youth survey to be held in the fall of 2021. ADAP Website The Hub We work closely with The Hub, which is the state-designated "Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization" (RBHAO) serving Southwestern CT. The Hub administers the state LPC and SOR grants, provides resources, coordinates quarterly regional meetings, and helps disseminate information regionally. Click the link below to find other LPCs (coalitions) in southwest CT or for additional behavioral health resources. The Hub website

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. FY 2024 Impact Report Dear Friend, Thanks to the unwavering support of donors like you, we can provide essential and affordable counseling and recovery support to those in need. Currently, 40% of our clients utilize state insurance, sliding scale fees, or our Treatment Fund. The repercussions of mental health issues can be profound in children, and it is a growing crisis. At Positive Directions, we have experienced a 15% increase in our mental health services for children aged twelve to eighteen over the past year. To better meet our community’s needs, we are proactively expanding our services to include youth as young as ten. Our targeted, tailored treatment and resources empower young people to manage their mental health struggles effectively and develop strong coping strategies. In Fiscal Year 2025, we are prioritizing partnerships and programs that directly support youth mental health. Our collaboration with Norwalk Public Schools is providing vital drug and alcohol counseling to high school students, addressing this critical issue head-on. Our summer SMART Recovery group for middle schoolers equipped them with the tools necessary for success as they transitioned to high school. Additionally, programs like 1:1 Peer Support offer teens and young adults valuable alternatives to traditional counseling. Our “Teen Nights Out”—sober social activities for Norwalk teens—have been developed in response to data from our youth surveys, allowing us to effectively tailor strategies to our community's immediate behavioral health needs. Tackling these challenges requires a determined, collective effort from families, counseling professionals, partner organizations, and engaged community members like you. The rising demand for our services this year underscores the urgency of our mission. Your prompt support is essential for Positive Directions to continue delivering critical clinical, prevention, and recovery services to all members of our community, regardless of their financial situation. With more children facing mental health struggles, we need your support now more than ever. You can make a donation through our website, and checks can be mailed 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. Your support, in whatever form it takes, is crucial to our ability to continue serving our community. To learn more about Positive Directions’ impact on the community, please read the enclosed Impact Report. Thank you for being a vital part of our mission. Your past support has been invaluable, making a tangible difference in the lives of many. We look forward to your continued partnership and the impactful changes we can achieve together. Sincerely, Vanessa Wilson, LMFT Executive Director Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our website to stay up-to-date

NYC Marathon charity page Support Team Positive Directions! Positive Directions is proud to be an official charity partner of New York Road Runners, which organizes the famed TCS New York City Marathon each year. Through this partnership, Positive Direction provides a limited number of runners with guaranteed entry. For over 50 years, Positive Directions has provided Fairfield County mental health and substance misuse services through community prevention, counseling, and recovery support. Our purpose is to 1) support individuals and families in need and 2) creating a healthy, positive, and inspiring environment that fosters mental well-being. Positive Directions will NEVER refuse treatment based on an individual’s ability to pay. 100% of event proceeds will go to supporting Positive Directions' ongoing support of mental health services and substance use prevention. Run Strong, Think Positive Click below to apply for Team Positive Directions. Apply Here! MARATHON TEAM MEMBER BENEFITS Guaranteed entry into the TCS New York City Marathon Assistance setting up a personalized fundraising page Form letter for potential supporters Team t-shirt MARATHON TEAM MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES Commitment to raise at least $3,000 for Positive Directions Responsible for the registration fee paid to New York Road Runners ($255 entry fee for NYRR members, $315 for non-members) Required to provide credit card information as a personal guarantee Not a runner, but want to support Positive Directions? Click below to make a charitable donation. Donate Here!

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. About Us Positive Directions-The Center for Prevention & Counseling had its origins in 1971 as a volunteer-based organization known as the Alcoholism Council. Developed by people in recovery from alcohol use disorder, the organization sought to bring substance misuse awareness into the Westport, Connecticut schools and community and to support recovery. Over the following years, we evolved into a 501(c)(3) behavioral health nonprofit working to strengthen the mental wellbeing of both individuals and communities in Fairfield County, CT. Today, we are recognized for our mission: to serve as innovative community leaders in mental health, substance prevention, and peer support. Our reach is now statewide. In our state-licensed outpatient clinic, we provide individual and family counseling to children, adolescents, and adults with mental health and substance misuse challenges. We serve clients in-person at our Westport location as well as virtually, and we have substance counselors located at two high schools in Norwalk. We have staff licensed in Connecticut, New York and New Hampshire. Through our community prevention programs, we help towns in mid-Fairfield County plan and implement data-based strategies to educate youth and families and to change community norms to prevent substance misuse and promote mental wellbeing. Our free support groups and one-on-one peer support for youth and young adults provide a safe space and trained facilitators to help individuals and families learn coping skills and gain support for their personal journeys. Our CT Support Group project is a statewide, peer-developed platform for youth and young adults searching for mental wellbeing and connections with peers and peer support. History Our Beginnings Meet our Team Staff & Board Testimonials What Our Clients Say Upcoming Events Trainings & Talks Community Sponsors Thank you to our funders! Careers See current openings

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. Nina Chanana Survey Evaluator Nina Chanana, MPA, is principal of Chanana Consulting in Fairfield, CT. She enjoys helping clients understand the value of evaluation for documenting and demonstrating program value and building organizational capacity for internal monitoring and assessment. She loves working with committed, avid colleagues and clients who create exciting experiences for youth and their families. Most importantly, Nina is committed to being part of teams that work to improve the communities in which they work and live. Since 2007, Nina has been providing evaluation services to a diverse group of clients at her time as a consultant for duBay Horton Associates, a community-based public health consulting firm located in Bridgeport, CT, and currently as principal of Chanana Consulting in Fairfield, CT. Over her career, Nina has worked with a wide range of clients including schools, non-profits, neighborhood organizations, foundations, and city and state agencies. She has conducted evaluations in formal and informal settings, and has experience with evaluation planning, needs assessments, resource inventory, data management, strategic planning, and program design. Nina Chanana: 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. Our History Positive Directions was established in 1971 in Westport, CT as a volunteer effort by people in recovery from alcohol addiction to bring awareness and prevention into school and community programs and support recovery. Since then, treatment and prevention programs have evolved to become more disciplined and outcome focused, and Positive Directions today emphasizes evidence-supported clinical treatment services and community-focused prevention programs. We are now a 501(c)(3) non-profit behavioral health organization working across the continuum of prevention, treatment, and recovery. Our outpatient clinic provides counseling, recovery groups, and peer supports to youth and adults who are struggling with their mental health, substance misuse, problem gambling or other addictions. We have also received state prevention and awareness funding continuously for more than 25 years, in recognition of our expertise as a provider of evidence-supported, data-driven, locally focused prevention programs to the communities we serve.

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. Angelina Miceli, LCSW Clinical Director Angelina joined Positive Directions with experience providing individual and group psychotherapy in the school system as well as in both the non-profit and private sectors. Most recently, she served as Assistant Director at Personal Growth Concepts, Inc in Stratford - a private counseling agency. In those settings, she has helped adolescents and adults to work through and overcome challenges such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, marital conflict, grief, loss and traumas. Angelina utilizes a collaborative approach to help clients work toward 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. She adjusts her style to fit her clients and their needs as opposed to functioning from a one-size-fits-all approach. In doing so, she draws from her experience using Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT), psychodynamic, insight-oriented and strengths-based approaches. She offers to her clients an empathetic ear, a supportive environment, and the encouragement to realize their full potential. In her spare time, Angelina loves spending quality time with her husband attending concerts and exploring nature or being a kid again with her niece and nephew. She can often be found in the kitchen baking a new egg-free confection, or curled on the couch travelling around the world through the pages of a good book. Angelina can be contacted via e-mail at amiceli@positivedirections.org . Or by phone at 203-227-7644 ext 828 Psychology Today Angelina Miceli, LCSW: Team Members

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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. Training Workshops We seek to raise awareness and provide education to parents and community members, and to support schools in delivering the best curriculum. We can provide trainings directly, develop and deliver presentations based on local issues and data, and/or coordinate and identify speakers on a variety of topics. National & State Trainings Our staff offer the following programs: Mental Health First Aid Question-Persuade-Refer (suicide prevention skills training), in English or Spanish Talk Saves Lives (suicide awareness presentation) Opioid education and Narcan administration (including providing a Narcan kit), in English or Spanish Hidden in Plain Sight, a parent exploration of a teen bedroom to identify signs of drug use and discuss how to respond For Youth & Young Adults Our TurningPointCT project staff often serve as motivational speakers and offer workshops to youth and young adults: Personal story of journey to recovery from mental illness and/or addiction "Sensory Cafe" activity (coping skills) "How to Cope When Things Get Tough" workshop (distress tolerance) Other Presentations Upon request, our clinical and/or prevention staff can speak at events and provide presentations for community coalitions and other groups. We also partner with groups such as MADD, NAMI, The Hub, and others to provide education that meets the community's needs. Download The Hub's regional list of behavioral health training programs and trainers in Southwest CT.

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. One-on-One Peer Support For people in their teens & 20s Our Peer Support Specialist, Ally Kernan , is recognized statewide as an advocate for recovery, a motivational speaker, and a young adult who uses her lived experience with mental illness and substance use to provide support and guidance to others. Ally is trained as a Recovery Support Specialist (mental health), Recovery Coach (substance use), and SMART Recovery facilitator, and a Drug & Alcohol Recovery Counselor. She is available two mornings a week on a first-come, first-served basis for free individual peer support. Text her at 203-227-7644 x842 to schedule. Download flyer