Panel of Mental Health Experts To Address Youth Mental Health Crisis in Upcoming Webinar

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
May 2, 2023
Contact: Wendy Garrish

Join Caminar's Speakers Series on May 19th for a Powerful Discussion

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 2, 2023 -- Caminar, a leading Bay Area behavioral health care agency, will hold its annual Caminar's Speaker Series virtually on Friday, May 19, 2023, from 12:00 - 1:30 pm PT with an esteemed panel of psychologists, clinicians and professors. The conversation will address large and compounding issues that, combined with other stresses of adolescence, contribute to a sense of persistent anxiety and depression; what happens when trauma in youth goes unaddressed; and how to find actionable ways to nurture hope and resilience in our youth.

Youth today have been subjected to climate crises, mass shootings, COVID-19, lethal drugs, polarized politics, and many other issues that have led to heightened anxiety, depression and distress. According to Mental Health America, over 2.7 million youth in America have severe major depression. It's critical that we address these issues, and improve our youth's resilience to prevent further mental health issues from continuing to pass down to future generations.

"We see on a daily basis how recent events have impacted our youth that we care for here at Caminar," said Caminar CEO Mark Cloutier. "Research tells us that thoughtful, knowledgeable and empathic engagement by parents and trusted adults can buffer the psychological harm caused by the compounding issues facing this generation, and prevent these large issues from contributing to more severe mental health conditions in the future. Hosting this annual speaker series and bringing leading mental health experts to the conversation to educate our community is so critical, and we must instill hope in not just our youth, but their parents, caregivers, teachers and support systems in order for the mental health crisis to improve."

The topic of nurturing hope and resilience in our youth will be discussed between subject matter experts with Caminar CEO, Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH, moderating the panel. At the end of the panel discussion, there will be a Q&A led by media partner Rob Waters of MindSite News.

The panel discussion will include perspectives from:

• Elizabeth Allured, Clinical Psychologist and Educator at the Suffolk Institute, who teaches clinicians and the public about the interface of the climate crisis and mental health
• Anne E. Brodsky, PhD, Professor and Chair of Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), who focuses her teaching, research, administrative work, and practice on resilience, psychological sense of community, social justice, and the role of communities in creating and resisting societal risks and oppressions, including violence, poverty, racism, and sexism
• Susan Clayton, PhD, Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology at the College of Wooster in Ohio, who examines people's relationship with the natural environment, how it is socially constructed, how a healthy relationship with nature can be promoted, and how climate change can threaten mental health
• Faria Tavacoli, public health major at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), who focuses on programming to increase awareness of mental health resources while increasing kindness and bravery in young people

This event is sponsored by Forty Niners Football Company, LLC, Hansen Crawford Crum, Barbara Patterson and Andrew Menkes, MD, Christine and Michael Curry, Kaiser Permanente, and Peninsula Health Care District. Media partners include The Daily Journal, MindSite News, Punch Magazine, San Francisco Business Times, and Silicon Valley Business Journal.

To register for Caminar's Speaker Series, visit the event page.

About Caminar

Caminar is a leading behavioral health organization that supports nearly 17,000 youths and adults in the San Francisco Bay Area each year. Through 60 different programs focused on prevention, treatment and recovery across five counties, Caminar delivers high-quality services to those with complex mental health, substance use and co-occurring needs. The organization was founded in 1964 and is driven by compassion, science and an understanding of root causes. To learn more, please visit www.caminar.org.

Media Contact:
Wendy Garrish, Director of Marketing & Communications
650.513.8667