The Healthy Edge
An online resource for the Watchung Hills community to access information, activities, and support related to Wellness.
Directed by the Wellness Committee, The Healthy Edge provides a comprehensive effort to the Watchung Hills community with the resources to enhance the social and emotional wellness of all students. This initiative strives to maximize student development in four key areas:
- Intellectual Wellness
- Emotional Wellness
- Social Wellness
- Physical Wellness
Articles
Information and resources on vaping, juuling, smoking.
Learn the facts about this new epidemic among young people.
- How Tobacco Companies are luring kids with candy flavored e-cigarettes and cigars.
- What Pediatricians and Families need to know.
- It happens in minutes.
More Information and Resorces on Different Topics Affecting Students.
- Learning to Be Kind to Yourself
- Explanations and Strategies for All Three
- How to help children manage the thoughts that drive perfectionism.
- How to help a teenager deal with anxiety.
- What would happen if you took everyone who is addicted to heroin in New Jersey and sent them to live in one place?
Advice for Parents in the Age of Social Media
- The Silent Tragedy affecting today's children and what to do with it.
Underage Drinking: Realstic Ways to Talk About Alcohol with Teens
- 5 Ways to Talk About it Realistically
- The Early Childhood, Parenting and Professional Resource Center
CarePlus
CarePlus offers a school-based therapeutic program that offer psycho-education, skill-building, and therapy in a non-stigmatizing school environment.
More Information about the CarePlus school based program
If you have any questions on how to get linked with CarePlus, please see a School Counselor, Student Assistance Counselor or Case Manager.
Events
News
Resources
STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The Student Assistance Counselors (SAC’s) provide confidential in-school support to students who are struggling with issues that negatively impact school performance. The SAC works with students to develop healthy coping skills, reduce risk factors, and make positive lifestyle choices. Services include assessment, crisis intervention, psycho-education, short-term counseling and referrals to community resources. Students are encouraged to utilize these services for concerns about themselves or others.
Students can seek assistance on their own or be referred by any member of our school community. Referrals and services are confidential, and will not become part of the student’s school record.
If you are concerned about yourself or someone you know, please contact one of the SAC’s listed below.
Student Last Names A-L
Kevin Rice
krice@whrhs.org
908-647-4800 ext 7963
Student Last Names M-Z
Gwendolyn Blake, MA, Ed.S
gblake@whrhs.org
908-647-4800 ext 6866
School is not always in session when a problem or emergency arises. Please take advantage of the mental health hotlines listed below when we are not available.
- 2nd Floor Youth Helpline: 888‐222‐2228
- Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services: 908-526-4100
- Family Crisis Intervention Unit: 732‐542‐2444
- Traumatic Loss Coalition: 732‐956-7782
- New Jersey Hopeline: 855-654-6735
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
In addition to the above hotlines, you can download the following apps to your phone...
MY3: Define your network and your plan to stay safe.
Virtual Hope Box: Contains tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking
- Stress management
- Family problems and transitions
- Relationship issues (friends, dating, etc)
- Substance use/abuse
- Anxiety/Depression
- Anger management
- Eating disorders
- Body image
- Bullying
- School related problems
- Self esteem
- Peer and Social Problems
- Grief and Loss
- Suicide Prevention
- ANY other issues that teens may be dealing with in today’s world
COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
In an emergency, call 911!
Drug/Alcohol/Addiction Prevention
CRISIS / PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES - 24-hour emergency mental health care, including risk assessments, screenings, crisis intervention and stabilization, psychiatric emergency services and access to mental health resources; mobile outreach also available
Somerset County Residents
Psychiatric Evaluation Screening Services (PESS)
282 E. Main St, Somerville, NJ
908-526-4100
www.bridgewayrehab.org
Morris County Residents
Saint Clare’s Hospital
Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES)
25 Pocono Rd., Denville, NJ
973-625-6150
973-625-0280 - after-hours hotline
Morristown Memorial Hospital
100 Madison Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 971-5000
Newton Medical Center
175 High St., Newton, NJ
973-383-0973
24-hour Crisis Hotline 973-540-0100
HOTLINES
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
NJ Teen Helpline: http://www.2ndfloor.org/ 1-888-222-2228
The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
NJ Addiction Services Hotline 1-844276-2777
NJ Mental Health Cares http://www.njmentalhealthcares.org/ 866-202-4357
In addition, the NJ Dept. of Children and Families has an extensive list of hotline and helplines available on their website:
http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/families/hotlines/
The Mental Health Association of NJ has decided to open up their Disaster Mental Health Helpline to assist for those feeling stressed, anxious or depressed due to COVID-19.
Please call (877)294- HELP(4357) for emotional support, guidance and mental health referrals as needed.
FAMILY SERVICES
Family Crisis Intervention Unit (FCIU), Somerset County
27 Warren, St., Somerville, NJ
908-704-6330
Richard Hall Mental Health Center (RHMHC), Somerset County
500 North Bridge St., Bridgewater, NJ
908-725-2800
Wide range of mental health services for individuals and families, provided on a sliding scale for Somerset county residents.
Family Intervention Services, Morris County
www.fisnj.org
20 Vanderhoof Ave., Rockaway, NJ
973-586-5243
Family Crisis Intervention Unit, Family Outreach Program, CP&P contracted programs, Children’s Mobile Response and Stabilization Program, Child Outpatient Program (Medicaid Accepted and Fee for Service). Serves all families and youth who are Morris county residents.
NJ Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP)
All reports of child abuse and neglect must be reported to the State Central Registry (SCR), a 24 hour hotline; when a report indicates a child may be at risk, a representative from DCPP will promptly investigate the safety of the child.
SCR Hotline - 1-877-NJ-ABUSE (1-877-652-2873)
WEBSITES FOR WELLNESS
Videos
Screenagers: Next Chapter Film Event
- Watchung Hills Regional Municipal Alliance Brings You: Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills For Stress Resilience
- As part of TODAY’s “Secret Lives of Teens” series, NBC news special anchor Maria Shriver sits down with young people to discuss issues they commonly struggle with – and often keep hidden from their parents. make parents aware of what they are feeling and help them to understand that their pressure sometimes adds to the burden on the teens.
- In an effort to combat the growing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse, the FBI and DEA have released "Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict," a documentary aimed at educating students and young adults about the dangers of addiction. More at www.fbi.gov/ChasingTheDragon