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Program to Provide Free, Public Mental Health Support and Educational Resources This month ¶¶Òőapp University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work is launching Care CafĂ©: a free, traveling, psycho-educational community resource program to support individuals and families seeking help and information around issues of concern. Through presentations on a variety of topics, Care CafĂ© will aim to educate, motivate, empower and nurture hope around pressing psychosocial challenges and solutions. Care CafĂ©s will be offered in small, intimate settings (audiences will not exceed 50) where the presenter, an expert in their field, and audiences can easily interact and comfortably share ideas on topics relating to the human condition and finding inspiration and hope. The program is intentionally structured as a roving workshop in order to serve a wider geographical area and tailor presentations to diverse constituencies. “We have cafĂ©s to feed our bodies, but we don’t always have a place to go to feed our souls, nourish our flagging spirits or get information around significant life issues in a supportive space,” said Dr. Katherine Mitchell, Care Café’s program director. “Our goal is to provide this free, public service plus connect those in need to targeted referrals and resources for additional help.” She explained that, “Care Café’s responsive model is designed to provide non-threatening, ‘pop-up’ mental health support, skill building and resource connection. Events promise to reduce isolation and de-stigmatize seeking help.” There are currently a dozen Care CafĂ© events scheduled for the first half of 2018, which will focus on providing strength-based solutions on a range of issues. Topics include addiction, mental illness, depression, anxiety, immigrant issues, veterans’ issues (trauma, PTSD, transitioning back to the workplace), domestic violence, suicide prevention, parenting issues, relationship issues and more. Each event will be run by an engaging, knowledgeable and trained expert in his or her respective field. Wurzweiler master’s degree and doctoral students will be on hand to staff the events. These graduate student facilitators will provide participants with topic specific referral information for local, regional and national services, as well as answer any additional questions. Wurzweiler Care CafĂ© is a grant-funded program produced and staffed by Wurzweiler School of Social Work, in collaboration with local community partners. For more information or to participate, please visit www.yu.edu/wurzweiler/carecafe or contact Dr. Mitchell at katherine.mitchell@yu.edu or (631)481-6550.