Sesame Street in Communities (SSIC) is expanding its parental addiction initiative with a new webinar series for child and family therapists, first responders, community leaders, and other service providers.
Last fall, SSIC introduced Parental Addiction resources featuring Karli—a six-year-old Sesame Street Muppet whose mother struggles with substance abuse and addiction. This new series of webinars joins a host of existing SSIC resources to help children build resilience and overcome the trauma of parental addiction. These include: a storybook, videos and activity sheets for adults and children, an interactive digital activity for children, and articles for adults–all free to families in English and Spanish–plus digital professional development resources for providers.
The first of four webinars examining the ways parental addiction affects young children launches today. In The Child’s Voice: How Parental Addiction Affects Young Children, Sis Wenger, president and chief executive officer, National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA), shares strategies for individuals to offer support and care.
The remaining three webinars will be released monthly:
- August 26 – In Parental Addiction: Healing Families Together, Jerry Moe, national director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program, will offer resources and strategies that family therapists may use in their work with families.
- September 30 – Jac Charlier, executive director of the Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) Center for Health and Justice will build awareness and provide new approaches for first responders.
- October 28 – A faith-based leader will share how faith communities can support children and families affected by parental addiction.