We are committed to providing and sharing programs and information to help parents, teachers and students navigate high school and beyond. The wide range of issues include but are not limited to: coping with stress; parenting advice; homework resources; suicide prevention; drug use, addiction and overdose; and underage drinking.

Information may be found by exploring the following resources:

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Woodson Specific Resources

FCPS Mental Health Resources and Emergency Services Information
FCPS Parent Resource Center - provides resources and information to support the success of ALL students. Services include a lending library, free workshops and confidential consultations

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services
2334 Gallows Road, Room 105
Dunn Loring, Virginia 22027
prc@fcps.edu 703-204-3941

Eating Disorder information
Woodson PTSO: Staff Self-Care (in partnership with Heart & Soul Yoga and The Community of Solutions)
GMU Center for Psychological Services
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Plan D Nova, Depression Resources for Northern Virginia Youth
Comprehensive list of resources

Introducing Healthy Minds, a New Mental Health and Wellness Blog
Healthy Minds, provided by FCPS, is an online series of articles targeted to parents, educators, and community-based providers who are interested in supporting student mental health and wellness. Healthy Minds articles will include tips and strategies for increasing wellness and resiliency, as well as fostering success at home, at school, and in the community. Information about special events and other relevant news updates will be shared, too. New content will be posted weekly.
Interested individuals can SUBSCRIBE to Healthy Minds via News You Choose (enter your email when prompted to automatically be subscribed; “blog” is one of the subscription topic options listed). You will receive a monthly digest that includes highlights and links to our most recent articles. There may be additional emails from time to time to alert you on critical mental health and wellness information as well. Visit Healthy Minds.

Workshops, Training, Online Resources, and Support Groups

Support Groups for Youth
Youth and Young Adults: Stronger Together
Alternate Tuesdays, Oct. 10 through May 2018, 6:30-8:00 pm in Fairfax. This peer-to-peer support group for youth ages 14 - 22 meets twice a month through May. Parents, caregivers and guardians meet at the same time. Light dinner included.
Register: formedfamiliesforward.org/youth-together-peer-group/ or 703 539-2904
Support Group for Middle School Students with ADHD meets the 1st Sunday of each month 2:00 - 3:00 pm 4031 Univ. Dr Fairfax, VA enter on South St. No parents! Call 703-403-3335 to enter building. Contact: coach@BrainRelief.org or 703- 641-8940
Support Group for High School Students with ADHD meets the 1st Sunday of each month 3:30 - 5:00 pm 4031 Univ. Dr. Fairfax, Enter on South St. No parents! Call 703-403-3335 to enter building. Contact: coach@BrainRelief.org or 703- 641-8940
People First for Young Adults
2nd Tue. monthly, 6:30 - 8:00 pm The Arc, 2755 Hartland Rd Suite 200, Falls Church
Youth with disabilities age 14-26 practice public speaking skills, plan social outings, learn from guests on topics of life skills and advocacy, and do projects to enhance social skills. Information: Diane Monnig 703 208-1119 x 118

Community of Solutions Helping Teens Cope with Life Stress www.facebook.com/cosdcmetro/

Workshops, Training, Online Resources, and Support Groups

Support Groups for Adults

Alpha Moms This support group for adoptive parents meets monthly in McLean.
Contact: robin4brady@gmail.com

CHADD: Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder meetup.com/novachadd/
Alexandria CHADD Parent Support Group 4th Mon. of each month at 6:30 pm
Contact: Jenny ADHDParentMountVernon@gmail.com or 703 472-4678
West Fairfax CHADD Parent Support Group 1st & 3rd Tues. of each month at 7:30 pm
Contact: Sharon clintob@aol.com or 703 716-4646

CSB Family Support Group at Gatlan Center 2nd and 4th Wed. of each month 6-8 pm in Alexandria Contact:Samar.Chwairy@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-799-2882
D.A.D.S. Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome 3rd Thur. each month, 7-9 pm in Alexandria; and last Wed. of each month in Tysons at 7-9 pm Contact: rich_westhoff@hotmail.com or 571-490-1268

Fairfax Juvenile Court Parent Support Group for problems including runaway behavior, truancy, alcohol/drug abuse, and serious behavioral problems at home, at school, or in the community. 7:30 pm every Tues. Room 201.1 Fairfax County Courthouse 703-246-2495

D.A.D.S. Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome 3rd Thur. each month, 7-9 pm in Alexandria; and last Wed. of each month in Tysons at 7-9 pm Contact: rich_westhoff@hotmail.com or 571-490-1268

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness builds better lives for those affected by mental illness.
Fairfax Family Support Group meets on the 2nd Thur. of each month 7:30-9:00 pm
Contact: Heatherdaviesva@gmail.com or 703-362-4985
Springfield Family Support Group meets on the 4th Thur. of each month 7:00-8:30 pm
Contact: Heatherdaviesva@gmail.com or 703-362-4985

OCD Family Support Group 1st Mon. of each month, 7:30 pm
Contact: familygroupocd@verizon.net or 202 215-5859

POAC: Parents of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia
Bimonthly Support Group http://poac-nova.org

Support Group for Parents of Struggling to Launch Young Adults
3rd Thursday of every month, 6:00 - 7:30pm
The Thrive Center offices, 6310 Stevens Forest Road, Suite #100, Columbia MD 20146
RSVP to Sara Love at 410.740.3240

Northern Virginia Tourette Support Group meets the 2nd Sunday of each month at noon at the Chantilly Public Library. Contact: mark.bramer@gmail.com

Padres de hoy -- Support group in Spanish
Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8 pm Brookside FACE Ctr. 601 Four Mile Run Trail, Alexandria
Call 703-824-6865 to register. Free childcare.

Woodson PTSO: Family / Student / Teacher Enrichment Program SeriesCoordinator: Elena Theobald
Email: Enrichment@WoodsonPTSO.org
As part of the PTSO mission one of our objectives is to continue to offer programs to empower families, students, teachers and staff with useful, practical skills and resources to build and strengthen communication skills, resilience and reduce stressors at school and in the home. The PTSO, in collaboration with the Woodson Admin, has developed an Enrichment Series which consists of guest speakers, author visits, parent support groups, topic panels, and much more. Please let us know what topics you’d like to hear about that will best support your family.

Previous Family Enrichment Programs are available for your review:
Presented February 2015: “Authentic Success- Parenting for the Long Run” by Dr. Heather Tedesco for Woodson High School.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDES As a parent, what does success mean to you? What does it look like for your child now and what will it look like at the age of 30? Character, resilience, true grit, self-control, responsibility and independence. How can parents support and grow those traits in our kids?
Presented November 17 & 18, 2014: “Assessing Your Child’s ‘Readiness to Launch’” by Dr. Heather Tedesco for Woodson High School.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESParent Talks with Psychologist, Dr. Heather Tedesco were well received by parents and staff at Woodson at the Monday & Tuesday events. Preparing kids to be responsible and productive adults beyond just high school is a full time effort. Whatever path they decide to take, we want them to be equipped with family values, coping skills and oh yes, at least know how to do their own laundry!
A few nuggets to ponder:

Competence breeds Confidence and builds Self-Esteem
What are your top three family values?
Do you know your child’s coping mechanisms?

Woodson PTSO Staff Self-Care (in partnership with Heart & Soul Yoga and The Community of Solutions)
Coordinator: Mary Beth Quick
Email: mbquick@heartandsoulyogava.com
The Community of Solutions and Heart & Soul Yoga began an initiative in 2015-2016 to provide Staff Self-Care Days to Woodson Teachers and Staff 4- 6 times each school year. During the lunch period, 11:20am-1:20pm, we invite a variety of wellness practitioners, offer a few minutes of yoga, mindfulness, chair massage, therapy dogs, healthy tips, “tastes” and tea, all with the intention of providing just a few minutes of “nourishment” for the WTW staff. This brief escape is one way that we support Woodson’s Cav Culture of being: Proactive / Accountable / Empathetic / Respectful / Connected.
We need volunteers to help set up (minimal), guide staff to the various offerings and help with clean up (minimal). This is a great way to volunteer with a minimal time commitment. For more information or to volunteer, contact: Coordinator: Mary Beth Quick at mbquick@heartandsoulyogava.com.

Special Education and Frost-Woodson Special Services Coordinator: Joanne Ladino
Email: jrlflyboy@yahoo.com
The Woodson PTSO Special Education Services Committee partners with Woodson Admin to provide supplemental support for parents, teachers, and students to achieve the best outcomes for all students with learning differences
Special education services comprise a range of supports, most typically delivered via an individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 (accommodations) plan. As students progress through secondary education, and when planning for the transition to postsecondary life, the group provides essential assistance in helping identify resources and information.
The goal is to support all persons involved in special education by providing opportunities for networking, trainings and informative programming, as well as a place for parents, students, teachers, and other IEP or 504 team members to come together and achieve stronger relationships. We start this process with liaison services from Frost Middle School into Woodson through the Frost-Woodson Special Services program.
In the past, Frost-Woodson Special Services has consisted of a parent-student-teacher interest group, affiliated with both the Woodson PTSO and the Frost PTA, whose goal is to provide information and support to students receiving special education services and their families via a Yahoo listserv.
If you are interested in helping to identify programming opportunities or participating in any aspect of information sharing, please contact Joanne Ladino at jrlflyboy@yahoo.com.

Community of Solutions
Helping Teens Cope with Life Stress
Coordinators:
Heather Davies   703-978-0248 daviesva@gmail.com
Valerie Flowe   703-270-8785 vmflowe@gmail.com
Mary Beth Quick 703-323-7118 mbquick@heartandsoulyogava.com

CoS is a volunteer group of parents, teens, school administration, mental health professionals and other concerned citizens from Fairfax County who share a common interest: helping our teens live happy, healthy lives.
Here are some of the actions CoS is currently focusing on:

Building Resilience – incorporating mindfulness into the classroom, after-school yoga for students
Student/Teacher Forum – initiated by a Woodson high school student in an effort to build bridges of communication between students and school staff
Host Staff Self-Care Days – for stress-relief and to show appreciation for teachers and administration
Self-Advocacy – focus on strategies for communicating this valuable life-skill to students
Education – that focuses on teen wellness, mental illness and reducing stigma
Positive approaches to Homework and AP Classes – examines the academic research, stress factors and solutions implemented throughout Fairfax County
Promote Positive Messaging – to teens via social media and other visual means
Advocacy – working at the school, county and state level to support improved teen mental health services

Other CoS Impact/Actions/Solutions:

Advocated for the implementation of a crisis line app
Encouraged students and teachers to become certified in Mental Health First Aid
Host a monthly National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) support group at Woodson HS
Facilitated eliminating homework during school holidays.
Created mental health and wellness resource magnets for student lockers

Learn More. Get Involved. Make a Difference.
Join our FaceBook page to hear about upcoming meetings and to participate in the discussions. Sign up for our mailing list to receive email notifications about upcoming meetings and related community events.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosdcmetro/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/COS_teens
E-MAIL: communityofsol@gmail.com

FCPS Parent Resource Center
The Parent Resource Center of the Fairfax County Public Schools promotes parent awareness of the services provided by the Fairfax County Public Schools for children with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities and their families. The Center encourages parent participation in the educational decision-making process and provides seminars, training programs, and information to foster the parent/professional partnership.

George Mason Center for Psychological Services
Woodson POC: Heather Davies
Email: daviesva@gmail.com

NAMIWoodson Coordinator: Heather Davies
Email: daviesva@gmail.com
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)builds better lives for those affected by mental illness. There are two Fairfax County NAMI NOVa meetings that specific for family of youth:

FAIRFAX:
Location: Woodson High School (Library), 9525 Main St., Fairfax, VA
(focus: parents of youth)
Meets: 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Contact: Heather at 703-978-0248 or daviesva@gmail.com
SPRINGFIELD:
Location: Prince of Peach Lutheran Church, Room #24, 8304 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA
(focus: parents of youth)
Meets: 4th Thursday of each month, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Contact: Heather at 703-978-0248 or daviesva@gmail.com

Support Groups for Youth

Youth and Young Adults: Stronger Together

This peer support group is for youth ages 14 – 22. Parents, caregivers, and guardians meet elsewhere at the same time, and both groups are facilitated by professionals. Light dinner included.

People First for Young Adults

Youth with disabilities age 14-26 practice public speaking skills, plan social outings, learn from guests on topics of life skills and advocacy, and do projects to enhance social skills. Information: Call Diane Monnig at 703-208-1119 x 118.

Heads Up and Talk It Out — Teen and Parent Recovery Groups

These are concurrent drop-in groups for teens (ages 14-17) and their parents

Info: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/recovery/heads-up-talk-it-out

Support Groups for Parents

Alpha Moms This support group for adoptive parents meets monthly in McLean. Contact: robin4brady@gmail.com

Autism Dads meets one evening monthly in Falls Church. Contact: George Buzby at 571-419-1257 or gbuzby@aol.com

CHADD: Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Alexandria CHADD Parent Support Group 4th Mon. of each month at 6:30 pm. Contact: Jenny ADHDParentMountVernon@gmail.com or call 703-472-4678.

Burke CHADD Support Group for Parents, Caregivers and Family Members Last Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm. Contact Kim Griffin: kimberlyrgriffin@yahoo.com

West Fairfax CHADD Evening Parent Support Group 3rd Thur. of each month at 7:30 pm Contact: Sharon clintob@aol.com or 703-716-4646.

West Fairfax CHADD Morning Parent Support Group 1st Tues. of each month at 10:30 am Contact: Sharon clintob@aol.com or 703-716-4646.

CSB Family Support Group at Gatlan Center 2nd and 4th Wed. of each month 6-8 pm in Alexandria Contact: Samar.Chwairy@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-799-2882.

D.A.D.S. Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome 3rd Tue. each month, 7-9 pm in Alexandria. Contact: George gbuzby@aol.com or call 703- 545-6089.

Fairfax Juvenile Court Parent Support Group for problems including runaway behavior, truancy, alcohol/drug abuse, and serious behavioral problems at home, at school, or in the community. 7:30 pm every Tues. Room 201.1 Fairfax County Courthouse – call 703-246-2495.

Kinship Caregivers Support Group 2nd & 4th Thur. monthly, 6:30-8:00 pm, South County Gov. Ctr. Rm. 220, 8350 Richmond Hgwy, Alexandria. Free dinner and resources. Register 1 week ahead: KFI@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-246-4653

Kinship Café – meets monthly on the 2nd Wed. in Fairfax. Free dinner. Activities for children and discussion for adults. Register 1 week ahead by calling 703-246-4653 or online at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hscode/EReg/Registration.aspx?groupID=27

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness builds better lives for affected families. Arlington Parent Support Group meets two Sundays a month at 7:00-8:30 pm. Contact: Naomi 703-862-9588 verdugo.naomi@gmail.com

Northern Virginia Tourette Support Group meets the 2nd Sunday of each month at noon at the Chantilly Public Library. Contact: mark.bramer@gmail.com

OCD Family Support Group 1st Monday of each month 7:30 pm. Contact: familygroupocd@varizon.net or call 202-215-5859

Parents of Autistic Children (POAC) meeting times and location posted at: https://poac-nova.org/events/

Parents of Autistic Teens meets the 2nd Sat. of each month in checking on date at Woodson. Contact: Maria Dubuc 703-970-3676 or Admin@ASNV.org