Mental health distress and illness are often “hidden from view” while we and those we care about needlessly suffer in silence.

In this video, Sarah Breithaupt, director of Youth & Family Services for Lisle Township, talks about the importance of mental health awareness and reducing stigma for early prevention and treatment, including:

• Common mental health conditions and symptoms
• There’s hope that conditions can be successfully treated and managed
• What to look for to find the best fit with a mental health provider and collaborate with them in your care
• Caring for your mental health holistically as part of your overall health and wellbeing

Contact Sarah at (630) 968-2087, ext. 14 or at SarahB@LisleTownship.com

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Did you know that Lisle Township offers FREE mental health services to its residents with a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor on staff? If you have tried to schedule with a private therapist and found them booked up, not on your health plan or with co-pays too expensive for your budget we can help.

Not sure if you need or want counseling but want to take good care of your mental health and even find out ways to enhance it? Or, feeling depressed or anxious and not sure where to turn or what to do to feel better? A screening and assessment can help you figure this out.

Schedule a free screening and assessment with mental health counselor Sarah Breithaupt, MSEd, LCPC, director of Youth & Family Services for Lisle Township. Sarah is qualified to assess and diagnose for anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, as well as provide recommendations, counseling and community resource referrals.

Even if you don’t feel you have anything serious going on, mental health check-ups (like those with your doctor for your physical health) is good preventative care and can enhance your mental and emotional wellbeing.

Sarah stands ready to help and is available for both in person and virtual appointments. Contact her at SarahB@LisleTownship.com or call (630) 968-2087, ext. 14.

For more about Sarah: https://www.lisletownship.com/departments/youth-and-family/

In support of Suicide Prevention Month in September, Sarah Breithaupt, director of Youth & Family Services for Lisle Township and a member of the DuPage County Prevention Leadership Team, talks about the significant role substance misuse plays in youth suicide, including:

• Risk factors and warning signs 
• Ways to talk with youth about mental health and suicide safety
• Proactive prevention measures
• Crisis support and resources

A Lethal Combination: Substance Use & Suicide Risk For Youth – YouTube

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose,

in the present moment and nonjudgmentally.”

 ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

University of Massachusetts Medical School

 September is often a time of new beginnings and busy schedules. With that in mind, we offer you the opportunity and following resources to get your second “new year” off to a mindful start.

Whether you’re new to mindfulness or not, here is a plan to stay on track and easily fold it into your days. You’ll find ways to take mindful pauses to renew and refresh as well as manage in the moment with calm and intention.

Mindfulness is an age-old practice that is scientifically validated to increase personal well-being and resiliency. Its benefits include: stress reduction, mental clarity, increased energy, and mood regulation and relaxation. The more you practice and find what works for you the greater the potential benefit.

Here are four weeks worth of individual practices to try out and practice whenever is most convenient for you. Tips to help you practice are also posted below. For individual sessions contact Counselor Sarah Breithaupt at SarahB@LisleTownship.com.

INDIVIDUAL PRACTICES 

There are always new things to try to find what works best for you. Use throughout the week to cultivate inner peace for a calmer life. Following are MP3 audios to help guide your practice and adapt to your life:

WEEK ONE: “Welcome to Mindfulness”

Breathe in the Calm

Relax from Head to Toe

 Mindful Movement

WEEK TWO: “Be Right Where You Are”

Drop Into the Moment

Cue-Controlled Relaxation

Smiling Meditation

WEEK THREE: “Letting Go”

Heart-Focused Breathing

Mindful Watching

Let Your Cares Float Away Visualization

WEEK FOUR: “Good Energy”

Restore Your Energy

Sphere of Light Energy

Tips for Best Practice

• Find a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted, electronically or otherwise. Get comfortable.
• To best focus, go deep and let go of your surroundings—particularly during meditations and visualizations. It’s often helpful to close your eyes, gaze downward or at a fixed point or object like a lit candle.
• Try out different times of the day and different settings. Mindfulness is an excellent way to start and prepare for your day as well as end it on a calm note for a restful night’s sleep.
• Easy to do, easy to forget: Set reminder alerts on your cell phone or computer for regular intervals of simple practice, such stopping for a moment of stillness or mindful breathing. You could also pair it with something you do regularly, like sitting down to eat or transitioning between tasks or rooms.

Mindfully yours,

Sarah Breithaupt, MSEd, LCPC

Director of Youth & Family Services, Lisle Township

SarahB@LisleTownship.com

(630) 968-2087, ext. 14

With a long history of commitment to supporting and empowering its residents, Lisle Township offers free and confidential counseling to its residents facing challenging life circumstances—both in-person and virtually by appointment.

Counseling helps clients focus on their strengths and develop personalized strategies and action plans to most effectively manage personal challenges, find solutions and increase resiliency. With a collaborative and goal-oriented approach, individual, couple, family and grief counseling is available free and by appointment to residents of Lisle Township.

Not sure where else to turn for other community services? Referrals can also be made for complementary services.

Please contact Director of Youth and Family Services Sarah Breithaupt, MSEd, LCPC to set up an in-person or virtual appointment for counseling at (630) 968-2087, ext. 14 or SarahB@LisleTownship.com.

Polish, update or reformat your resume, cover letter and job club handbill to help land more interviews and, ultimately, the job you want. The group—facilitated by Lisle Township Career Counselor Sarah Breithaupt, MSEd, LCPC—offers suggestions to help strengthen one another’s job search documents. Have one or more documents available to upload and share with the group.

The group is now meeting virtually over Zoom. Please email SarahB@LisleTownship.com for link and passcode by 9 a.m. prior to a 10 a.m. Monday meeting to attend. Or, if you prefer, email or call Sarah at (630) 968-2087, ext. 14 to set up an individual in-person or virtual appointment if you would prefer 1-1 assistance.

The Lisle Township Job Club provides a welcoming environment where individuals come together:

• To share resources
• Learn networking strategies
• Practice and present a brief elevator pitch

For the time-being Job Club, which is hosted weekly by the Career & Networking Center of Naperville, is meeting virtually over Zoom. Join us!

• Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
• (Pre-registration required): https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17370026&appointmentType=22443875
• Registration and Zoom link can also be accessed through the Calendar on https://careernetworkingcenter.org/

For individualized job search assistance contact:

Sarah Breithaupt, Job Club Facilitator

SarahB@LisleTownship.com

(630) 968-2087, ext. 14

RESUME GROUP:

The Lisle Township Job Club’s Resume Group cannot meet in person at this time. In the interim, I am available to review your resume and other job search materials on an individual basis. Please email me  SarahB@LisleTownship.com to schedule an individual Zoom appointment (during which we will review your document together online).

LISLE TOWNSHIP JOB CLUB:

Virtual meetings are held Wednesdays at 9 a.m. (as the Career & Networking Center in Naperville where we usually meet is closed for the time being due to Covid-19).

Join us at the following link:

Join via Zoom (Registration Required) – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qc-iqrzopH9HV7at434a4tuEdCOe4sjaP

You can also join us by clicking on the link provided within the Career & Networking 
Center calendar item:

https://www.careernetworkingcenter.org

DURING MEETINGS WE:

• Provide relevant announcements
• Participate in structured networking virtually. Please be prepared to provide:
  • Your name
  • Your differentiator/competitive difference
  • Target job titles
  • Target employers
  • A little background on skills and experience
• Discuss strategies and opportunities for job searching and networking as we manage impacts of the Covid-19 public health crisis on our day-to-day lives
• Practice and learn how to best participate in video meetings and interviews, which we will see increase during this time

FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Sign on early and test the software in case you need to download an application or have trouble connecting and Wi-Fi complications.
• Ensure that you won’t be interrupted, either by locking the door or by alerting others that you can’t be disturbed (a note on the door of the room as well as the door to the outside may be helpful).
• Check that your webcam is working. Position camera at eye level, not up your nose. Look into the camera.
• Check that your audio is working.
• Close any windows, tabs or applications on your computer that you’re not using.
• Check your internet connection and make sure you’re not downloading anything in the background.
• Set your phone to silent.
• Check that the background behind you is neutral and free from clutter.
• Adjust the lights in the room. If things appear dark or dim, you may want to bring in an extra desk lamp to brighten the space. Be front-lit not back-lit—don’t sit in front of a window, for example.
• Be dressed appropriately.
• Be still. Don’t move around a lot.
• Smile!

Please let me know if you have any questions at SarahB@LisleTownship.com

For additional support during this time, check out THE MINDFUL JOB SEARCH: COVID-19 EDITION:

https://www.lisletownship.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=519&action=edit

Forward Together, Forward*

Be well,
Sarah Breithaupt
Lisle Township Job Club Facilitator

*With thanks & credit to NIU

RESUME GROUP:

Woodridge Public Library will be closed through April 5 due to Covid-19 so the Lisle Township Job Club’s Resume Group cannot meet in person. In the interim, I am available to review your resume and other job search materials on an individual basis. Please email me at SarahB@LisleTownship.com to schedule an individual phone appointment (during which we will review your document together online).

LISLE TOWNSHIP JOB CLUB:

Virtual meetings are held Wednesdays at 11 a.m. (at least through April 8 as the Career & Networking Center in Naperville where we usually meet is closed until April 13).

Join us at the following link:

Join via Zoom (Registration Required) – https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMqf-qurjwqBMmMHkQvJ-DoKaZrObBGsQ

You can also join us by clicking on the link provided within the Career & Networking 
Center calendar item:

https://www.careernetworkingcenter.org/calendar/event/1680/2020/04/08/

DURING MEETINGS WE:

• Provide relevant announcements
• Participate in structured networking virtually, rather than in person. Please be prepared to provide:
  • Your name
  • Your differentiator/competitive difference
  • Target job titles
  • Target employers
  • A little background on skills and experience
  • Name again
• Discuss strategies and opportunities for job searching and networking as we manage impacts of the Covid-19 public health crisis on our day-to-day lives
• Practice and learn how to best participate in video meetings and interviews, which we will see increase during this time

FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Sign on early and test the software in case you need to download an application or have trouble connecting and Wi-Fi complications.
• Ensure that you won’t be interrupted, either by locking the door or by alerting others that you can’t be disturbed (a note on the door of the room as well as the door to the outside may be helpful).
• Check that your webcam is working. Position camera at eye level, not up your nose. Look into the camera.
• Check that your audio is working.
• Close any windows, tabs or applications on your computer that you’re not using.
• Check your internet connection and make sure you’re not downloading anything in the background.
• Set your phone to silent.
• Check that the background behind you is neutral and free from clutter.
• Adjust the lights in the room. If things appear dark or dim, you may want to bring in an extra desk lamp to brighten the space. Be front-lit not back-lit—don’t sit in front of a window, for example.
• Be dressed appropriately.
• Be still. Don’t move around a lot.
• Smile!

Please let me know if you have any questions at SarahB@LisleTownship.com

For additional support during this time, check out THE MINDFUL JOB SEARCH: COVID-19 EDITION:

https://www.lisletownship.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=519&action=edit

Forward Together, Forward*

Be well,
Sarah Breithaupt
Lisle Township Job Club Facilitator

*With thanks & credit to NIU