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PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Connie Watson 512-943-1663 (office) 512-844-3542 (cell) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL CHILDRENS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY


April 30, 2012 (Williamson County, TX) May 9, 2012, is National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day. For the past seven years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has celebrated National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day by focusing on the resilience of young people, especially those young people who have mental health challenges. In addition, this year the day is also honoring the caring adults, the Heroes of Hope, who help these young people demonstrate resilience following traumatic experiences. Heroes of Hope help young people by maintaining a long-term, stable and positive relationship. These relationships improve a childs ability to be successful at school, at home and in their community. The public is invited to a short ceremony in celebration of National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at 9 a.m. on the south steps of the Williamson County historic courthouse, 710 S. Main Street, in Georgetown. Green ribbons, signifying new growth and new beginnings, will be handed out for people to wear on May 9. Part of being a hero to a child is encouraging their creative expression of emotions. At the ceremony, artwork and written pieces by children regarding feelings and mental health will be on exhibit. The featured speaker will be Dr. Regina Cavanaugh with Lone Star Circle of Care (LSCC) talking about what parents and adults can do to be heroes to the children in their lives. Dr. Cavanaugh is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist. She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, where she also completed a residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. Before joining LSCC, Dr. Cavanaugh had a solo private practice in Harker Heights for several years and provided psychiatric services in hospitals, clinics, and foster care agencies throughout Texas and Pennsylvania. Dr. Cavanaugh is immediate past president of the Texas

Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and serves as one of the advocacy liaisons for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Heroes of Hope can be any caring adults. Using the 40 Developmental Assets, parents and other adults can have a positive effect on the mental health of a child. To learn more, visit http://www.georgetownproject.com/home/assets.htm. This event is coordinated through the efforts of the newly formed Children and Youth Behavioral Health Subcommittee of the Williamson County Mental Health Taskforce -- a subcommittee of school districts, private and non-profit organizations, public agencies and other stakeholders interested in improving the behavioral health of Williamson County children and youth.

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