How do I become a member of ASAP?- Association of Student Assistance Professionals NJ?

Click Here for the Membership Link

Click Here to visit ASAPNJ.org

Role and Responsibility with specific regard for the federal laws of confidentiality. Click Here

• State of NJ (NJDOE) Student Support Services.

Click Here to Launch to the Membership Page of Asapnj.org

If you have any questions that pertain to membership, please contact our Membership Chair Andrea Saladino directly. asapnjmembership@gmail.com

The 35th Annual ASAP-NJ State Conference to be held Virtually this year. The date is set for March 4, 2022. Please stay tuned via RefSac for more information to follow, including registration, workshops, agenda, etc. Many of you need to let your districts know in a timely fashion.

Please use the following link to register:

Conference Registration Link: https://asapnj.refsec.com/web/conferenceregistration.aspx

NOTE: After registering, an email is immediately sent out to you. We recommend you check your junk or spam folder for that email from RefSec.

Title: ASAP-NJ 35th Annual Conference: What’s in Your Toolkit?

Date: Friday, March 4, 2022

Time: 9AM-1:30PM

3.5 PD hours

Payment: Members- FREE

Non-Members- $25

• Meeting updates
• Links to County Websites
• Directory
• Website Resources

Click Here for the article from Prevention Magazine.

Just like that, another year has come and gone. January 2022 is more than just the first month of a new year—it’s a chance to start fresh, rethink your approach to wellness, and imbue your life with a new sense of purpose.

"You're juggling glass balls and plastic balls. What you choose to drop changes everything." Nora Roberts

Click Here to learn more about the Center for Discovery

The Federal Government will spend $282 million to get "988" hotline ready by July

WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration will spend $282 million to get a "988" national suicide prevention lifeline up and running by July, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Monday.

Click Here to read more about the new "Lifeline"

Click Here to read more

Pills Purchased Outside of a Licensed Pharmacy are Illegal, Dangerous, and Potentially Deadly

The Drug Enforcement Administration warns the American public of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing provides a message guide and toolkit that equips youth-serving providers and organizations with the tools and resources necessary to support meaningful prevention messaging. In the toolkit you can access messaging on youth substance use prevention, tip sheets, social media graphics and shareables, videos, webinars, interactive worksheets, and educational courses.

Click Here for the Toolkit (Click on the Message Guide) when you arrive at the site.

Through Tobacco-Free for a Healthy NJ, 10 regional tobacco collaboratives (RTC) were created to coordinate tobacco prevention efforts across NJ. We strive to include all sectors of the community in the RTCs to truly represent each region. By bringing together key stakeholders and champions in each region, we are able to drive our efforts with education & policy action. Click Here to get Resources and Support

NJ has been very successful in changing the landscape of tobacco point of sale with Tobacco 21 and the Flavor restrictions but there is still work to do. Tobacco Point of Sale is a key opportunity to prevent underage access to tobacco products. Learn about the research that drives the recommended policy changes that are having the strongest impact in reducing youth access. Learn key talking points you can use with policymakers to understand the importance in this area for tobacco control. Registration Click Here

COVID-19 has had a profound negative effect on the mental health of the nation. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health America (MHA) has witnessed increasing numbers of people experiencing anxiety, depression, psychosis, loneliness, and other mental health concerns. Click Here for the Guide regarding Covid-19 and risk.

If you need music to help you sleep and suffer regularly with insomnia, use this sleeping music in the background as calm music for soothing relaxation or as ambient music and experience the benefits of deep sleep music and relaxing sleep music. During stressful times, calming music and sleeping music can be really helpful for sleep hypnosis and meditation for sleep.

Click Here for the music

Returning to the classroom and regular activities after the disruptions of COVID-19 may cause stress and anxiety for students of any age. These feelings are normal and to be expected; everyone has tough days, but if children or adolescents are exhibiting unusual behavior for extended periods, they may be in need of additional support and care. We created this webpage to guide young people and their families to resources that promote student health and well-being, including mental health. Click Here

Click Here to Register or call us at 833-795-QUIT to learn more.

On average, people are four times more likely to quit smoking or vaping when participating in a structured program than attempting to quit on their own. It’s important to have a plan and some help. The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery offers FREE tobacco and nicotine treatment services, which include working with a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and free nicotine replacement therapies including patches, gum, and lozenges (no insurance required).

Our Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists continue to provide services while practicing safe social distancing. Treatment sessions are currently being conducted via phone and web, with virtual group/individual counseling and delivery of nicotine replacement therapies via mail.

Article- This is the Teenage Brain on Social Media

Article- How Depression Affects Learning

Article-Why We're All Addicted to Texts, Twitter and Google

Article- 8 Hidden Ways Depression Affects You at School

UCLA Scholarly Article- The Difference Between online learning and social media is DOPAMINE.

Trauma Informed Classroom- Click Here to learn how to support students. The Pandemic is Trauma!

Unhealthy vs. Healthy Relationships

Does your partner…

• Tell you that you are nothing without them?
• Put down your accomplishments or goals?
• Use intimidation or threats to gain compliance?
• Embarrass or make fun of you in front of your friends or family?

Do you…

• Sometimes feel scared of how your partner will act?
• Constantly make excuses to other people for your partner’s behavior?
• Try not to do anything that would cause conflict or make your partner angry?
  
• Feel like no matter what you do, your partner is never happy with you?

Answering “Yes” to any of these questions indicates that your relationship is unhealthy and perhaps even abusive.

Resources for Getting HELP for Abusive Relationships at 180 Turning Lives Around

Our New Jersey public Division of Children and Family offer a great deal of free monthly training. Many of them are related to SEL and self care in addition to specific topics of abuse and neglect. or more...CLICK HERE FOR THE DATES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Updates On New Methamphetamines and Cocaine Health Risks—Improved Screening and Action To Save Lives

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) leadership in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) team and Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) invites you to this no-cost webinar on January 12, 2021, at 2:00 p.m., ET.

Please register to reserve your spot!

About the Webinar

Much higher purity, longer-term use, and growing contamination of methamphetamine and cocaine with synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, resulted in record-high overdose deaths in the United States during the last year.

AAA Northeast has a wonderful E-learning Module for health and driver education teachers: Shifting Gears, the Blunt Truth about marijuana and driving. Click Here for more information

Click Here for the Counseling Information to Screen for Substance Abuse. What makes school-based SBIRT both effective and practical to implement is that it only requires the training of school staff to administer the screening, which would identify warning signs of mental health or substance abuse issues. Students exhibiting these signs would receive a brief intervention, and if deemed appropriate referred for proactive treatment.

Nell Geiger, LPC Bordentown SAC Counselor: “SBIRT is simply asking direct substance abuse and Mental health questions to an adolescent who wants to talk, it's pure, honest conversation starters that allow our youth to share confidentially, let's just ask, their voices need to be heard"

Please Click Here for Registration and more info.

1/13 12:00 pm – 1:30 Safer Smoking and Sniffing

1/2712:00 pm – 1:30 Let’s Talk About Sex

Know anyone who is in need of referral to treatment?

Click here to access our online help-tool. Or, call the statewide Addiction Access Center at 844-276-2777.

Union County is Doing Amazing Programming!

Community Resource Fair for Students - Berkeley Heights
Community Resource Fair for a Professional Development - Scotch Plains-Fanwood
Raiders Don't’ Risk It - Distracted and Drunk Driving simulation for the Senior Class - Scotch Plains-Fanwood

Multi-Community Parenting Group 4 Virtual Parenting programs in Elizabeth, Hillside, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Springfield, Union, and Westfield Communities.
You Are Not Alone Campaign, Kindness Campaign- Summit
Anti Vaping Campaign, Union
Minding Your Mind-Stories Above Sigma for students, Summit
Minding Your Mind & Just Talk About It Parent Program Summit-Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Millburn, Chatham
Attitudes in Reverse, In Their Shoes, Suicide Prevention Program- Summit
Sobriety Speaks- Union

Harm reduction strategies and tools should be accessible to everyone – regardless of location, time and or experience. National Harm Reduction Coalition offers a series of self-paced online learning modules that groups and individuals can complete on their own schedule and terms – anytime, anywhere. Click Here

YEAR ROUND DRUG DISPOSAL Click Here for a location near you.

Safely disposing of expired or unused medicine is critical to helping protect your kids, family and home. And it decreases the opportunity for visitors in your home, like your kids’ friends, to abuse medicine as well.

Last month, the CDC announced a horrific milestone: more than 100,000 people in the U.S. died of an overdose during the 12 month period ending in April 2021. This is nearly a 30% increase from the prior year and a glaring sign that the country's efforts to address overdose death are failing.

Read more click here

Please join Pocono Mountain Recovery Center and Huntington Creek Recovery Center on Friday, December 17th for this FREE, accredited training opportunity! During this training, our facilitator will discuss trauma and its impact, help our guests to understand the cycle of trauma, and review a 3-stage clinical map to post-traumatic growth.

CLICK HERE or on the image above to register today!

Questions? Contact Julia.Latimer@acadiahealthcare.com

Panorama has modules to watch from a variety of vendors that give professional development certificates of attendance. This will give a range of topics from character education to ways to combat covid stress. Click Here and scroll down for all the opportunities available for free.

Click Here to join the newsletter

Public safety, public health, and behavioral health stakeholders giving access to timely and accurate information about the drug environment at the community level & prioritize outreach efforts, assess the impact of local strategies, and monitor the evolving nature of the drug environment.

Click Here for the Webinar

JUST Think Twice Click the link to join the publication and notifications.

This is a United States Government, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website.

1/25 at 12:30 Register Here

• The components and the basic structure of an e-cigarette (vaping device).

• The harmful health effects vaping and secondhand vaping have on the respiratory system and the rest of the body.

• How to best help your teen quit if already vaping.

The Center offers a tool kit to understand the impact of the legalization of Marijuana. Please click here to get connected with the resources. The Center offers many evidence-based programs and evidence-informed programs for youth from Kindergarten to 12th grade and professionals that are recommended by several agencies, such as Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), evidenced-based registries, and the New Jersey Department of Education.

If you are a SAC or other Prevention Specialist/ Counselor this is a valuable newsletter from the Wellspring Center for Prevention. They tailor their programming for families, children and adults. Access to this newsletter will give you so much support and resources to share. Click Here to Join the list.

This website from the National Drug Enforcement Agency is called Get Smart About Drugs. On this site you will find so much information about drugs, policy and support.

CLICK HERE for the link.

Every Brain Matters is a community of support, advocacy, and science. Join us, as we call for a cultural change with the widespread use of our logo, which unites us and symbolizes both “freedom from marijuana” and optimal brain and environmental health.