The Kids Are Not Okay: Expert Panel Discussion on Our Community’s Adolescent Mental Health & Drug Crisis

Free Narcan Training 6:30-7:00 pm
RSVP for Training and Panel Discussion Here
(You do not need to RSVP for both events separately)

Tickets are free with a suggested donation to the Chris Atwood Foundation

Sponsors:

The Sycamore School, Arlington Magazine, & Snell Properties 

Moderator:

Greg Hamilton, Arlington Magazine

Panelists:

Dr. Karin Varblow, MD – Pediatrician – talking about the adolescent brain

Bio: Dr. Karin Forman Varblow, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician with expertise in Behavioral Pediatrics and treating children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and related conditions. After serving individuals as a general pediatrician for over a decade, she opened a solo practice to work intensively with families whose children have behavioral issues.

Dr. Varblow’s undergraduate studies were completed at Duke University in 1989, and she then studied Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1998, where she was a National Health Service Corps Scholar. In 2001 she completed her pediatrics residency at INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children, then an affiliate of the University of Virginia.

Over the past 20+ years, ADHD and Behavioral Pediatrics have become Dr. Varblow’s passion. She is invested in working with families to improve their overall function, in addition to supporting the progress of her individual patient. As a resident of the DC Metropolitan area for over 25 years, she is familiar with an array of available services, and she incorporates as many modalities of treatment as will be effective.

 

Dr. Christina Tripodi Mitchell, adolescent therapist – talking about the increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in our youth

Bio: Christina Tripodi Mitchell, Psy.D., NCSP, is the Founder and Clinical Director of The Child & Family Practice of Washington, DC. She is a licensed school and clinical psychologist who treats children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Tripodi founded the practice on the premise that all children and families, regardless of location and situation, should have access to the highest possible standard of psychological and educational support.

Dr. Tripodi has experience working and training in numerous medical, clinical, and school settings including Weill Cornell Medical Center, Children’s Day Hospital at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and the Washington, DC Public Schools. She also has extensive international experience and maintains an active license with The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the United Kingdom as an “Educational Psychologist.”

Dr. Tripodi received her B.A. in psychology from The George Washington University. She received her M.S. and Psy.D. in school psychology from St. John’s University, where she also completed a concentration in clinical intervention and therapy. At St. John’s, Dr. Tripodi was awarded a University Doctoral Research Fellowship to conduct research into infant memory at The Infancy Research Project. Dr. Tripodi is an active member of the American Psychological Association, The National Association of School Psychologists, The Association for Childhood Education International, The International Dyslexia Association, The NGO Committee on Mental Health at The United Nations, The Health and Care Professions Council in the United Kingdom, and is licensed with the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.

Dr. Tripodi is also a Clinical Professor of Psychology at The George Washington University.

 

Dr. Teresa M. Ross, Emergency Department, VHC Health – will be discussing current trends in youth substance abuse and mental health, in particular the patterns that emerged in the Emergency Department during and after the COVID pandemic.

Bio: Dr. Teresa M Ross is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician and fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Dr. Ross graduated from Johns Hopkins University and then studied at University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine in Washington, DC at Medstar Georgetown-Washington Hospital Center. She has chaired the AAEM committee for Women in Emergency Medicine and the AAEM Education Committee. Dr. Ross has worked in the Emergency Department at Virginia Hospital Center for over 10 years. She and her family live in Arlington and she is proud to work in her own community. Her special interests include patient care and work/life balance.

 

Craig James, LCSW, LSATP, MAC – discuss youth, drug abuse, and related mental health issues

Bio: Craig James, LCSW, LSATP, MAC (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner, and Master Addictions Counselor) has been in the addiction treatment field for almost thirty years. He is the Co-Founder & Director of Operations of Insight Into Action Therapy and Insight Recovery Centers. Insight was recognized as the Loudoun County Health and Wellness and Small Business of the Year. He co-developed and implements the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Program© and is a nationally recognized trainer on alcohol moderation and harm reduction. Craig serves on the executive boards of the Virginia Association of Addiction Professionals and Loudoun County Community Services Board.

 

Chrissy Chow – Offering Narcan training to parents at the workshop

Bio: Chrissy Chow is the Program Manager for Insight Recovery Centers. She has been in the addiction treatment field for 15 years. Chrissy graduated from Northern Virginia Community College with an Associate Degree in Psychology. She is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor Assistant and is under clinical supervision to become a National Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC-I). During her experience working in the field of substance use disorders, she has served the adult population at all levels of care from residential to continuing care.

 

Tickets are free with a suggested donation to the Chris Atwood Foundation

Free Narcan Training 6:30-7:00 pm
RSVP for Training and Panel Discussion Here
(You do not need to RSVP for both events separately)