Resources for Parents

TYSA OPIOIDS & STIMULANTS PREVENTION PLEDGE

We all can work together to prevent opioid and other drug use while supporting our youth. SIGN YOUR NAME on the pledge to show your commitment to preventing opioid and stimulant use in your home. You can also choose to receive periodic updates on prevention and intervention services for families in the future.

JUST TALK – STATEN ISLAND PARENTS YOU MATTER! A TYSA COALITION WORKSHOP

Just Talk-SI Parents You Matter is a workshop that informs adults about the drug landscape in our community, the reasons why youth use drugs, and some concrete tips for parents/caregivers to prevent youth initiation or intervene if they suspect there is an issue. The goal is to empower caregivers to begin having conversations about drugs and alcohol with the youth in their lives.

This workshop was presented by Amanda Wexler, LCSW, CASAC. Wexler is a Clinical Director of Diversion & Victim Services at the Richmond County District Attorney’s (RCDA) Office, Staten Island, New York. RCDA is a TYSA Coalition partner. TYSA is a coalition of people and organizations who have come together with a mission to support the behavioral health of SI young people, and decrease youth and young adult substance use on Staten Island. The coalition focuses all of its members on using their resources to help one another, and the whole community, combat substance use.

Just Talk PYM Presentation Slides Parents You Matter Tip Sheet Behavioral Health Resource Guide Drug Guide for Parents TYSA Pharmacy Insert

A Note to Parents:

You know your child better than anyone else, so please trust your instincts. Seek help at the first sign that there may be a need to. Love your child enough to take action – it may save their life.
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The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Helpline is a toll-free, national Helpline, helping parents whose children are misusing drugs or alcohol take effective action to support their loved one.

To contact the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Parent Helpline:

CALL

  • 1-855-DRUGFREE (855-378-4373)
  • Master’s-level counselors ready to help any parent struggling with a child’s drug or alcohol use
  • The trained specialists listen to each caller’s story and then propose a plan of action
  • Calls are free and confidential
  • Phone line open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm ET, but closed weekends and holidays
  • Phone line operators for both English and Spanish

CHAT

  • Visit Partnership for Drug Free Kids Chat Line
  • Online chat available Monday-Friday, 5 pm – 10 pm ET and Saturday & Sunday, 12 pm – 5 pm ET
  • Online chat available for English only
  • Chats are free and confidential

EMAIL

Can’t chat or call? Fill out the contact form to request a personal follow-up from one of the counselors.

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Educating yourself is a step to addressing harmful substance use in your family and community.

Signs that your loved one may be using substances:

  • Abrupt changes in behavior such as declining school work and grades, loss of interest in activities, less honesty
  • Changes in sleeping habits
  • Abnormal health issues
  • Deteriorating relationships with family and/or friends
  • Changes in friends and groups

What you can do:

  • Stay up to date on drug trends by speaking with your child and reading the news
  • Use teachable moments to discuss the facts and risks
  • Know where your child is going, who they are with, and when they will return
  • Network with other parents
  • Keep alcohol and prescription drugs in a safe place
  • Set limits
  • Communicate with your child
  • Get professional help

Tips to help communicate with your child:

  • Clearly communicate the risks
  • Express your disapproval
  • Use “teachable moments”
  • Frequently talk and listen to them about how things are going in their lives

Need help starting the conversation? Here are resources on how to talk to your children or loved ones.

Talk to prevent:

You can also request to host or attend a parent workshop. Through this training, you will learn about signs and symptoms of harmful substance use and obtain the skills to address it through effective communication and education about the risks and protective factors that make kids vulnerable.

To learn more or request a training, contact us.

About TYSA

The TYSA coalition is a data-driven collaboration aimed at leveraging the power of collective impact to improve behavioral health outcomes for Staten Island’s youth. Through the lens of equity and inclusion, this project seeks to drive major improvements in youth substance use and mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery on Staten Island. TYSA seeks to:

  • Engage diverse communities and constituencies, inclusive of lived experience, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability status and all of the other rich diversity on Staten Island
  • Achieve major gains, not minor improvements
  • Use clear metrics, at the youth, organization, and system-levels
  • Support the success of partner implementers
  • Align and improve efforts to achieve greater collective impact
  • Avoid reinventing the wheel or duplicating existing existing programs
  • Identify and address disparities
  • Identify root causes such as adverse childhood experiences, and support community level change
  • Create a culture of equity in systems and partnerships

Contact TYSA

ADDRESS:
444 St. Marks Place, 3FL
Staten Island, NY 10301

PHONE NUMBER:
(718) 226-0258