We started our series Kids in Crisis in 2016 to engage readers on and off the page, in hopes of jumpstarting the critical work of talking about youth suicide prevention, mental health challenges, unique lived experiences and where to go for help.
Through our more than 40 town hall conversations over the years, we've been able to engage experts from the Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health, the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Wisconsin and clinics around the state to better understand the common themes that have lent themselves to the youth mental health crisis.
And now, for the first time since the pandemic upended life as we knew it and further exacerbated the youth mental health crisis, we're returning to the road for a town hall discussion in Wausau.
The town hall meeting will be moderated by Natalie Eilbert, the lead reporter on the series who covers mental health for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, based out of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. There will be a short discussion with panelists followed by a question-and-answer period. Please bring your questions.
Panelists include:
- Michelle Gleason, the director of development at the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, who has more than two decades of experience working in human services and is a licensed clinical social worker.
- Samantha Eastberg, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in children and adolescents who works with children of all ages, and their families, at Marshfield Clinic Health Systems.
- Noreen Salzman, a therapist with The Centre for Well-Being in Wausau, has more than 40 years of experience in the mental health field, working in outpatient, inpatient, residential mental health and alcohol/drug treatment programs.
- Carson Molle, a suicide survivor, motivational speaker and mental health advocate.
