We offer peer-to-peer support for parents whose teens and young adults are dealing with mental health issues. Attend one of our three monthly virtual meetings and discover a caring and comforting community.
Upcoming Support Groups
Parents of Teens and Tweens
Monthly Parent Support Groups
​​Saturdays: 2:00PM - 4:00PM (Virtual)​
Next Meeting Dates (click dates to register):
Parents of Older Teens and Young Adults (18 to 38 years)
Monthly Parent Support Groups
Tuesdays: 7:00PM - 9:00PM (Virtual)
Next Meeting Dates (click date to register):
We usually suggest a $10 donation for Family Sanity Meetings to help cover our administrative costs. Please contact founder Lisa Scimens to request financial assistance lisascimens@gmail.com.
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Family Sanity is truly a volunteer run organization. Our facilitators, our parent coach, and our founder all work without compensation. Our operating costs have increased dramatically this year, so please donate whatever you can.
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To donate via check, contact founder Lisa Scimens at lisascimens@gmail.com for the mailing address.
From Our Founder
FUN-Fundraising!
You may recall that I am a painter. One of our major sources of income comes from the sales of my art. I donate all of the proceeds I make from the paintings to Family Sanity.
I am having an art show all of August in Sonoma. You can see it Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm at the Vintage House at 264 First St. East in downtown Sonoma. It’s a good excuse for a day-trip (and maybe a little wine tasting), don’t you think?
Then on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday September 27 Pumpkin-Succulent time begins!
Everyone is invited to join me in the making of Pumpkin-Succulents which will be sold throughout October for Family Sanity. Last year we made and sold 65 of them. We plan to make as many again, so please email me if you are interested in helping. I make lunch for everyone and we have a very good time.
And, if you can’t make it to either event, you can always make a donation by clicking the button below:
Hope to see you there,
Lisa
Bay Area Parent Support Group Forum
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If you would like to communicate with parents like you about special programs,RTC’s, schools, etc. in between our Family Sanity meetings, there is a San Francisco-based group that provides a listserv that is very helpful. It is run by Lisa Eltinge (lisaeltinge@aol.com) and it is tied to NAMI. Just click on this link http://www.tinyurl.com/Bay-Area-Parent-Forum" or use the following QR Code to sign up:
Parenting Blogs
Motherhood as a Spiritual Path through Mental Health Awareness
by Shelley Karpaty
My search for healing and spirituality took flight in motherhood after my son's birth in 2002. Well, things never turn out how you’d imagine them to go, and he landed back in the hospital for a six-week NICU stay with a pile of medical ambiguity. And after the trauma was neatly tucked away somewhere in my body for many years, I learned and continue to learn how to manage the peaks and valleys of anxiety that motherhood brings.
I fought for my own identity alongside motherhood. And with a handful of tumultuous, heartbreaking years in many moments of fear and surrender in parenting, I have learned more about myself than I ever would have without him.
Special Event!
Family Sanity, The Podcast
Saturday, August 15, 2PM​​
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Dr. Rebecca Hawley
Lisa Scimens
With Dr. Rebecca Hawley, Special Ed Law
Advocate & Child Development Specialist
Saturday, August 15th, 2pm - 4pm
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This event is a must for parents of teens and young adults who have IEP’s (Individual Education Programs) or for those who are hoping to get one for their struggling child.
In conversation with Family Sanity Founder Lisa Scimens, Dr. Hawley will discuss:
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Is it ever too late to get an IEP?
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How do I get a neuropsych evaluation? What if I can’t pay for it?
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How do I get my school district to pay for a special school or a therapeutic program or an RTC?
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Does my child’s IEP continue when they go to college?
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What are my rights as a parent?
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(This event will be recorded and can be replayed as a Family Sanity Podcast in the near future.)
Keep Up-to-Date on our
Meetings and Special Activities
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Did you know Family Sanity has a newsletter? It comes out the first week of the month, plus we send a few reminders and updates about what’s going on. It’s a great way to make sure you don’t miss meetings or events like our upcoming walks and luncheons around the Bay. Also, if you want to introduce a friend to our group, you can simply forward it to them.
Beginning with August meetings, there will be a $10 charge per person for attending all monthly zoom meetings and podcasts. In-person meetings will remain Free. All meetings are free for Family Sanity VIP’s.*
The reason for this change is that we recently had the unpleasant experience of being Zoom-Bombed during a discussion of parents. It was a very rattling experience for us all. While taking security measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again, we are also reinstating a fee for meetings believing that it will help deter potential zoom-bombers.
If you are experiencing financial hardship and can’t afford to buy a ticket for a meeting, please contact me (lisascimens@gmail.com) about attending gratis.
Another change we are making in hope of deterring zoom-bombers is that we won’t be sending out zoom links until the day before the meeting. Please continue to sign up as soon as you know you want to attend a meeting. Look for the email reminder the day before with the link you will need.
* Want to know more about becoming a Family Sanity VIP? Please contact me at: lisascimens@gmail.com.
New! Mentoring Services
If you did not make it to our recent special event on Mentoring, you may want to visit our new Mentoring Services page in our Resources. The two mentors who presented at the event are listed along with a plethora of other ones. Some are Bay Area oriented and others work virtually with teens and young adults across the nation. A few actually mentor parents, as well. To find out more about mentoring, which is a very valuable service for many people, click here to visit this Family Sanity resource.
Testimonials
"Family Sanity has been a lifesaver for me raising 2 teenagers and now young adults as a single mom. I don’t have a great support system, and my siblings / acquaintances really have no idea about raising neuro-divergent kids."