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: 6:00PM - 8:00PM (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
As most of you know, I was in Africa for nearly a month recently. It was a wonderful trip. I had enough time away to assess where I am now in my life and thought a lot about Family Sanity. I came up with this:
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It is time to Expand our Leadership Team
We are looking for a few dedicated Family Sanity members to join our leadership team.
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I recently had a “big birthday” and am realizing we need younger people who have kids in school (i.e. grades 7-12) to help make decisions about our organization.
Parents who have an interest or background in psychology may be interested. People who have had a child in RTC, therapeutic boarding school or other special programs would have the type of knowledge we are looking for. And a fundraising background would be greatly appreciated.
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Family Sanity has always been run as a volunteer organization. But, if we add a strong fundraiser to the team, that could be different.
If this sounds a bit vague, I purposely wrote it that way. I don't want to come across like the organization needs to stay the same. I want the next leaders to put their own mark on Family Sanity and figure out new directions for us to grow.
I am hoping to start getting our new team in place in early 2027.
Please email me directly if you are interested: lisascimens@gmail.com.
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Well, if you are curious, I encourage you to take a look at the Podcast. I’d love to hear your feedback. (I know I should wear make-up next time:)​
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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
Never Give Up
by Lisa Scimens
On our recent trip to Africa, I was not only surprised by the multitude of animals we saw and the related experiences. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised with our daughter, now 29, in many ways.
A few years ago our daughter’s string of diagnoses grew to include high functioning Autism. Previously it had been Anxiety/Depression, ADHD, and learning issues. I mention the ASD inclusion because it helps to explain why she knows so much (minutiae) about animals and their habitats.(Two of our guides complimented her on her knowledge and encouraged her to continue studying them. She hopes to be a Marine Biologist one day.)
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.
Free In-Person Meeting​
Bring your partner or a friend
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Family Sanity will host a free in-person meeting open to all Family Sanity parents on Sunday, November 1st, from 1pm-3pm. The meeting will be held at the Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto. Please sign up for this free event as soon as you can. You will meet, share, and connect with other parents with similar experiences. We look forward to seeing you!
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Date/Time: Sunday, November 1st, 1pm-3pm
Location: Training Room of Palo Alto Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
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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."