Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK)
Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK) events are open to all Radnor Township School District parents and guardians.
The vision of ASK is to facilitate and promote positive life choices by raising awareness for Radnor students, parents and teachers about at-risk behaviors through supportive and developed informational programming.
Upcoming ASK Meeting Topics
RHS PTO is excited to announce a partnership with Embark Behavioral Health to assist with our ASK presentations. This year, RHS will host two ASK meetings in the High School Auditorium. Please be on the lookout for more information.
October 3rd at 7pm
Past Meetings
2022-23
October 21, 2022 9:00 am (virtual): Eating Disorders: It’s OK to not be OK
Kirstin Day, an RHS alumna and founder of Strength is Beautiful, will be speaking about her experience with eating disorders and how it affects parenting her own children.
About the speaker: Kirstin Day has more than 19 years experience as a senior executive in the fashion industry in New York City. She is a mom of two, an avid equestrian, and lover of art and music. Mental health has always been her passion, however, since struggling with an eating disorder, depression, and anxiety in her teens. In 2012, she combined her business experience and interest in helping others to form Strength is Beautiful, a platform and series of educational programs for children, teens, their parents, and industry professionals about eating disorders, mental health and their effects with a focus on promoting health, confidence and positive self-image. Kirstin has spoken to a wide range of audiences including the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Jefferson Hospital, as a keynote speaker at the NEDAcon National Conference, and to patients and stakeholders at The Renfrew Center.
December 9, 2022 9:00 am (RHS Auditorium): A Guide to Self-Care
Stephanie Cooper, MA, a teen and young adult therapist at the Center for Family Empowerment (CFE), will define self-care, explore the self-care inventory and share how to support self-care for our teens.
About the speaker: Stephanie Cooper received her Master of Arts in Counseling from Arcadia University and her undergraduate degree in psychology with a neuroscience minor from Ursinus College, in addition to being a student-athlete. Her clinical interests include anxiety, depression, grief, disordered eating, self-care and more. While at CFE, Stephanie has created "team talks" for undergraduate student-athletes and staff as well as local presentations to various high schools and places of employment. She currently facilitates a "Strong Girls" group to help discover one's authentic self and increase self-esteem. She is passionate about supporting teens and young adults with various stressors they may face with a team approach.
February 2, 2023 9:00 (virtual): Mental Health and Your Teen: When to seek help
All RTSD parents/guardians are invited to join the Alliance for Safe Kids for this virtual program on Fri., Feb. 3 at 9 a.m via Zoom. It's hard to know when to seek mental health support for our teens. Embark Behavioral Health presents what behaviors are a cause for concern, the different types of mental health supports available, and how to help your teens to ask for help.
Related Articles:
Smiling Depression: How Happy Faces Can Mask Depression (embarkbh.com)
High-Functioning Anxiety: How It Affects Teens and How To Help (embarkbh.com)
2021-22
April 22, 2022: Pressures of a teenager during the Pandemic
The pandemic has affected people of all ages but the emotional fall out and pressures for teenagers have been especially difficult. Mental health difficulties for kids are on the rise. They are now facing new challenges like transition in their sleep schedules, expectations to keep up with school curriculums post virtual school, stressors about health, peer pressures related to wearing or not wearing masks, effects of social isolation, and the effects of habitual social media use in isolation. This presentation will highlight these difficulties and offer some ideas to facilitate normalcy in this unique time.
Melissa is the co-founder of CHH and specializes in evidence-based treatments for eating disorders, the behavioral and psychological management of OCD, PTSD, PCOS, phobias, and other anxiety disorders. Practicing as a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania and Delaware, she has additional credentials in CBT certification as both a Diplomate CBT-Certified Therapist and Certified Trainer Consultant through the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies and as a Certified Prolonged Exposure Therapist and Supervisor through the University of Pennsylvania.
Melissa is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Temple University and a clinical facilitator at the Minding Your Mind Foundation. She is currently co-authoring a text for clinicians, Comorbid Eating Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Clinician’s Guide to Challenges in Treatment, scheduled to be published in 2022 via Cambridge University Press.
February 4, 2022: Principles of Grief: Grief 101 - Guest Presenter: Joe Kelly
- Joseph Kelly, Director of Programs at Peter's Place, will be speaking to parents about how to best communicate with your children in situations of grief. He will discuss an effective/empathetic style called "companioning" that we can use in difficult conversations of grief and loss.
- About the Speaker: Joseph has served as a mental health professional for 15 years. He earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University, and completed post-graduate coursework at Villanova University. He has worked in the school setting for over 10 years, at Valley Forge Military Academy and College and Cabrini University’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center, and has also maintained a private practice since 2015, working with teens and young adults combining exercise and talk therapy. Joseph has been in his current role, as Director of Program at Peter’s Place, since summer of 2018, facilitating grief support groups for children, teens, and adults, providing professional development and training for school staff and mental health professionals, and supporting many schools and communities following a death through post-vention services. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and National Alliance for Children’s Grief.
- Related Content
December 10, 2021: Mental Health Resources
Meet some of the Ambler Counseling team as they discuss some ways to help your teens and twenty-somethings cope during these uncertain times, and how to navigate the mental health system as a parent advocating for their child. Answer questions such as "Does my teenager need therapy?" "How do I find a therapist for my teenager?" "What kind of therapeutic approach will work best for my child?" and much more.
October 22, 2021: Identifying the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide
Given by Eve Bosnick MSN CRNP PNP-BC PMHNP-BC, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Advocare Main Line Pediatrics, Adolescent and Young Adult Wellness Ctr and Laurie Burstein Maxwell, Executive Director of DMAX, shared her personal story.
2020-21
April 16, 2021: Learn about current trends in substance abuse and Radnor's Youth Aid Panel
Superintendent Flanagan and a local drug detective educated parents and administrators about current dangers and threats to Radnor children including local apps for drug sales and alcohol use. They also discussed the benefits of our Youth Aid Panel.
Feb. 19th, 2021- Internet Safety: Online safety for kids and teens
Nat Evans, Senior Investigative Analyst for Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division/PA Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce educated Radnor parents about current safety issues online.
Nov. 20, 2020 - Continuing the Conversation: addressing stress, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic
Clinical Psychologists Niela Hirsch and Danielle Trucksess will focus on describing clinical symptoms, identifying potential concerns, and sharing coping strategies to manage distress. Drs. Hirsch and Trucksess will also provide psychoeducation about cognitive behavioral therapy and how the approach is adapted for a child and adolescent population.
Oct. 23, 2020, Back to School: Re-entry and Resillience
Jon Mattleman presented a live, interactive webinar addressing concerns parents and teachers are having about returning back to school during this global pandemic. This presentation covered stress, depression, and anxiety and how to look out for those symptoms in themselves and the students in their care.
2019-20
Feb. 7, 2020: Gun Violence in Schools
Gun prevention activist, gun violence victim and survivor advocate Jami Amo, a survivor of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. She was a freshman at the school when Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Amo was among hundreds of Columbine students who managed to escape to safety. Amo discussed the history of school violence, the effects of trauma and changes in policy that have influenced all aspects of school safety.
Dec. 13, 2019: "Just Talk About It"
Minding Your Mind clinician Melissa presented the Just Talk About It program in which the signs and symptoms of the mental health issues most prevalent in adolescents through young adulthood are discussed, and learn how to know the difference from typical teenage behavior. Young Adult Speaker Jordan added a real-life story that illustrates the information from our clinician, transforming it all into relatable experiences.
Oct. 18, 2019: "Teen Vaping, It's Not Just a Mist "
This presentation included information on vaping terminology and paraphernalia; negative health implications; local businesses and online markets that sell vaping products; signs to look for in youth who may be vaping; and tips on talking to teens.
Guest Speakers: Linda Schanne MSN, RN-C, CCRN, CEN chair of the Radnor Township Board of Health and Clinical Nurse Educator at BMH in the Emergency Department; Michael Blanche MSS, LCSW, a counselor specializing in adolescents and young adults, and prevention.