Dear Advocate,

Did you know that before the age of fourteen at least half of those who will develop a mental illness are already showing symptoms? Unrecognized and untreated, it often takes years before young people with a life altering psychiatric disorder get the help they need.

Why should that be? Unfortunately, the words “mental illness” still conjure up images of violence and poorly functioning, sad people. As teachers and mothers we have learned the hard way the tragic cost of allowing these stereotypes to prevail. That is why we have created “Breaking the Silence; Teaching the Next Generation about Mental Illness” (BTS), an innovative teaching tool for three grade levels that replaces fiction with fact and teaches tolerance toward young people struggling with mental illness.

This “Teacher’s Section” is devoted to familiarizing you with the contents of BTS. Register below and you will find a detailed description of what is in each packet, suggestions on how to integrate BTS into your curriculum and facts about mental illness. Help us create classrooms where mental illness is accepted and understood. Help students get the care they need so they can do well in school. Help us break the silence about mental illness!  

 Sincerely,

Janet Susin                                                  Lorraine Kaplan
BTS Project Director                                  Director of Educational Outreach
jasusin@optonline.net                               lorkaplan@verizon.net

Please register below for an overview of each packet and more detailed information.

We are committed to privacy and will not share your contact information.

New Users, Please complete the following: All fields are required