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Guest Speaker:
Mellissa introduces Maggie Norbert, social worker and a consultant at Sweetser to speak about;
Urgent youth mental health during the pandemic
In spring 2019 Maine had the highest rate in the country, per capita, of school children with some mental health issue or already in mental health crisis @ 1 in 4.
Suicide rates are up in the 10-34 year olds, now the 2nd leading cause of death in Maine in that age group
From past major world wide events Maggie says we know a bit of what to expect in our children's lives.
Food insecurity was brought up as an underlining problem.
Mental health for all should be supported in these difficult times - discussion about resilience.
Resource offered - "Intentional living for balanced life"
Her bio is below:
Margaret F. Norbert MSW, LCSW, LICSW
Maggie received her Master of Social Work from Boston College in 1992, receiving a degree focused on clinical work with a minor in Family Therapy. She is currently licensed as a clinical social worker in Maine and New Hampshire, and she teaches at the Graduate School level for a variety of Social Work courses, but specialize in Field Work. Maggie enjoys supervising and developing clinicians as they work towards their independent licenses. Maggie has a rich background working with children and families and has collaborated in school systems throughout her career providing outpatient therapy; Individual Education Plan social work support; training; supervision and consultation. Over the last 7 years working at Sweetser, Maggie has been a Supervisor for not only School Based Clinicians but also those working in Primary Care Offices. Currently, she works with Sweetser providing consulting and training, utilizing her certifications in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychological First Aid. Maggie also volunteers for the FrontLine/WarmLine through the State’s Maine Responds system supporting health care workers.
In June, 2019 Maggie was recognized by the Choose to be Healthy Coalition at York Hospital, for her work in the community. The organization’s director, Sally Manninen, noted, “Maggie is our North Star when it comes to teaching and reminding us of the importance of good mental health. She collaborates with us on many projects including providing training to schools and parents on the connection between youth mental health and substance issues. She is a relentless advocate for understanding the true harms of adolescent marijuana use on mental health. Maggie is helping change our local culture by providing Mental Health First Aid to schools and to all York Hospital staff. She serves on our Advisory Board and the Opioid Round Table. Above all, Maggie role models that relationships matter, and that we all need to take time for each other.”