Last year, Massachusetts Senate Karen Spilka’s priority legislation to deliver nation-leading reforms for mental health care in Massachusetts, the Mental Health ABC Act, was signed into law. This development could not come at a more critical time. Throughout the MetroWest region and across the state, parents have concerns about their children’s mental health and their family’s ability to access quality mental health care.

The office of Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka, in partnership with the Mental Health Collaborative, is pleased to host a presentation from the Collaborative, “Mental Health Essentials for Parents and Caregivers.” Mental Health Collaborative is a Hopkinton-based nonprofit organization that serves educators, school districts, and families across the country by improving their understanding of mental health.

This free webinar aims to provide parents and caregivers, particularly those with children in grades 6 through 12, with the tools they need to understand their children’s stress, identify emotional and behavioral health issues and their treatments, and empower them to obtain and maintain good mental health for their families. Knowing whether to worry and when, where, and how to get help is key. It’s important that we overcome the stigma that has prevented too many of us from taking good care of our mental health for too long.

Mental Health Essentials for Parents and Caregivers is part of the #MetroWestKids Initiative, which for six years has offered programs related to mental health, social-emotional learning, and related topics for audiences in MetroWest. For the first time, this program is available to statewide audiences. Attendees can RSVP here. Live translation is available in Portuguese, Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL).

“As a community, we are more aware of the need for mental health care than ever, in part because the challenges we face are too big to be ignored.”

- Senate President Karen Spilka

“Our mission is to build resilient communities through mental health education and awarenes.”

- Executive Director Abbie Rosenberg, Founder of the Mental Health Collaborative