August 22, 2019
Welcome back, or welcome to Voorhees, as the case may be!
Please see the brochure (attached here: SAC Brochure- 19-20.pdf) that describes the services offered by our Student Assistance Program for this year. Throughout the year, I will be sending you email “newsletters” entitled the Parents’ Pages that will cover various topics related to mental health, substance abuse trends, and related information. I know we all get inundated with emails, but I invite you to take particular advantage of these.
A few things I’d like to point out –
Please keep the various support groups in mind if you feel your child might benefit from one of them. Certain powerful events or circumstances can have a lasting impact on youth, but early intervention and support has been proven to be extremely valuable in helping young people stay healthy as they develop in spite of these challenges. As a result, we offer a range of special-focus support groups specifically to help kids adjust to and manage the effects of many of these circumstances – the enclosed descriptions will give you an idea of the circumstances I’m referring to.
If you choose to make a referral to the Student Assistance Program, your identity can be easily protected, if you’re concerned about it, so that it doesn’t interfere with your relationship with your child. On the other hand, these critical moments are often a perfect opportunity to make a meaningful and helpful connection at a new level with a child which can benefit both you and him or her.
*** If you’re not sure about whether or not, or how, to refer, feel free to contact me at jhunt@nhvweb.net or call 908-638-2175.
Please know that I am bound by confidentiality law with regard to students’ participation in the program which often makes conversations about students following a referral extremely limited or impossible. Information is released with the student’s permission or under certain critical situations that are valid exceptions to confidentiality rules. This can sometimes seem like a dilemma since parents often want to know, or feel they should know, what’s going on with a student. Unfortunately, that’s just not the law with regard to Student Assistance programs.
On the other hand, this high level of confidentiality is also afforded to any parent who may have a personal issue and need of a referral to outside supports for themselves or a family member. Please feel free to contact me and talk any time.
I’m always looking for additional members to the Municipal Alliance committee which I coordinate. The Alliance is the conduit through which money flows from the Governor’s Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse to New Jersey school districts for substance abuse prevention programming. It is comprised of staff, administration, presenters, law enforcement, parents, and students. If you have any interest in prevention issues and care to inquire about this (and it’s only one meeting per month) please let me know.
Finally, the following is a link provided by the Hunterdon Safe Communities Coalition that you may be interested in. It’s a video entitled DRUGS + YOUR KIDS: Learning to Recognize the Signs.
As always, your comments or questions are welcome.
Regards,
Jeffrey M. Hunt, LCADC, LPC
Student Assistance Coordinator
Municipal Alliance Chairperson
Voorhees High School
(908) 638-2175
