Kids and Technology

Lake-Geauga Recover Centers’ Prevention Specialist, Janis L. McLaughlin, M.Ed., OCPS II, will present a program for adults called “Kids and Technology” on March 8 at 7:00PM at the Burton UCC Social Hall, 14558 W. Park Street, Burton.

The Internet and communications technology are amazing tools.

However, the same devices that allow our young people to have a “window on the world,” give others a way to look back at them through that same window.

Adults often have no idea what is going on in the lives of children - as young as 3 years old - and teens. We need to be aware of the technology and how it works.

This presentation will include information about: how the technology works (no, you do not need to be able to use it), cyber bullying, sexting, how predators “look through the window” to connect with children, and what we can do to protect our youngsters.

Geauga County held its fifth annual Crisis Intervention Team Training on January 11 – 15, 2010. This week long training is provided to law enforcement, firefighters, corrections and court personnel and mental health providers. It teaches awareness of the most common and serious mental illnesses, how to identify when a person is in crisis, and techniques to use when dealing with a person in the community experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

A Virtual Hallucination Machine was provided to allow the participants to genuinely experience what a person with mental illness sees, hears and smells when having symptoms. The officers participated in role plays that simulated situations in the community working with persons in crisis and provided them the opportunity to practice the de-escalation skills obtained during the class.

Geauga County has trained a total of 97 county personnel in this Crisis Intervention Training Program since 2007. The goal of the C.I.T. Program is to provide training to promote effective communication and collaboration between the law enforcement, mental health consumers and providers of treatment. Advanced training is held periodically to provide the C.I.T. Certified officers with additional education. The training is funded by the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services and NAMI Ohio.

Any law enforcement, fire and emergency departments interested in sending officers to the next free training should contact Deanna Brant at Ravenwood Mental Health Center at 440.285.3568, or Lt. Scott Niehus of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office at 440.279.2009.

Big Brother Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio

Bowl for Kids Sake
Bowl-A-Thon

Register Your Team Today!

March 14
Sonny Lanes

4:00 p.m.
696 State 534 S
Geneva

March 21
Ernst Lanes

1:00 p.m.
10651 Grant Street
Chardon

March 28
Freeway Lanes

1:00 p.m.
7300 Palisades Parkway
Mentor

Educational Speaker Meetings

Our speaker meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. These are Open House meetings, the public is welcome. Bring a friend.

Most meetings are held at the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services, 13244 Ravenna Road, Chardon 44024 (Rt. 44 across from UHHS Geauga Hospital) at 7:00 p.m. If the anticipated audience is large we will obtain a larger facility for the meeting. Below is a list of our scheduled speakers for the next five months. For further information or to join the Geauga chapter of NAMI please call 440-285-3945.

• March 18, 2010 - Susan Cady, M.M., C.T.C.I. , will present “Tai Chi for Mental Health”.
• April 15, 2010 - Judge Charles Henry, Geauga County Juvenile and Probate Court Judge, will discuss how the Geauga County Court handles cases involving mental illness.
• May 20, 2010 - Sherriff Dan McClelland, Geauga County Sherriff, will speak about how the Geauga County Sherriff’s office handles mental health issues at the Safety Center and on emergency calls.

We have posted a calendar of our events on our website at: nami.org/sites/namigeauga

To contact us: mail to NAMI Geauga County, c/o The Mental Health Association in Geauga County, 11850 Mayfield Rd., Chardon, OH 44024; call 440-285-3945; or email lreed@mhageauga.org.