Sweetser participated in the Start Summit: Teen Mental Wellness event co-sponsored by Pen Bay Medical Center and Northeast University’s Roux Institute. It was held in Camden and provided an opportunity for more than 40 professionals to explore possible solutions to the growing mental health crisis. Sweetser’s President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer was a member of the panel of judges that also included Kelly Barton, president of Maine Behavioral Health and Jess Berry, founder of the Midcoast Community Collaborative.

News Story: https://knox.villagesoup.com/news/community/pen-bay-northeast-university-hold-teen-mental-wellness-summit/article_dec22a5e-088c-11ef-b322-f721d8a8a06c.html

Sweetser’s Affiliate Manager Jan Dubois appeared on our weekly Mental Health Moment segment on WMTW to talk about the benefits of going into private practice.

Learn more about the benefits of becoming an independent affiliate: https://www.sweetser.org/affiliatenetwork/

Sweetser was also featured in a recent news story on WMTW about how we are addressing workforce challenges in the field.

In the 6 months since the tragedy in Lewiston, collective trauma can still be something people experience and need help with. Sweetser team members Dr. Marc Kaplan, Wendy Anders, and Steve Nesky spoke to Amanda Hill at NEWS CENTER Maine about how to process these feelings and the resources available. Together, we remain Lewiston Strong.

When individuals receive treatment for mental health disorders, it helps when the individual assisting on the other end of the phone, session or interaction has been through similar lived experiences. Sweetser’s Director of Recovery Services Alaina Knox spoke to WMTW about what Peer Support Services can offer those in need.

Our Director of Crisis Services, Alyssa Pelchat, received NAMI Maine’s “Caring About Lives in Maine” Award. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that promote suicide prevention through education, stigma reduction, active intervention, or by assisting survivors in the aftermath of death by suicide. Congrats, Alyssa!

Our monthly Mental Health Matters column in Saco Bay News highlights the need for school-based mental health support and why it is at risk in Maine.

Preview:

‘To set the scene, Maine is in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. Maine teen suicide rates exceed the national rates with Maine students who seriously considered suicide increasing to 19%. Nearly half of Maine teen girls reported feeling sad or hopeless with 36% of all Maine high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless. Around 14,000 Mainers ages 12–17 have depression.’

READ FULL COLUMN HERE

Sweetser joined with NEWS CENTER Maine for Let’s Talk About It Night at the Maine Mariners Hockey game on Friday, April 12th at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. The goal of the night was to spread mental health awareness while enjoying an evening of fun! A portion of each ticket sold via a special link supported Sweetser’s programs.

Sweetser Senior Director of HR Holly Hall took the ceremonial first shot:

Check out photos from the night:

When someone is in crisis, it doesn’t always happen in a convenient place or near services. That’s where mobile crisis specialists come in; responding to crisis calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sweetser is the state’s largest provider of these mobile crisis services. Sweetser’s Director of Crisis Services, Alyssa Pelchat, discusses why the program is so critical.

Sweetser Medical Director Dr. Marc Kaplan joined a panel at Deering High School in Portland for a discussion on “Emotional/Mental/Behavioral Health for High School Students: What Families Should Know” on April 9th. 

The event was hosted by Deering High School’s Family Teacher Organization, and aimed to answer questions on how teenagers are doing with their emotional, mental, and behavioral health in 2024 and how families can support their youth.