Film on Teens and Mental Health at Eastern Mennonite School Feb. 19

Note to EMS families: The documentary is appropriate for high-school age students. Parents are welcome to bring students to the show, and we hope it will be part of helpful family conversation. School leadership and counselors determined not to show the film to students during the school day.

Parents, educators and community members are invited to a free public viewing of the documentary SCREENAGERS: The Next Chapter, Uncovering Skills for Stress Resistance on February 19, 2020, at 7 p.m. at Eastern Mennonite School.

The film explores the rise in anxiety, depression and other mental health issues among teens today and what it means to grow up in the digital age. EMS is offering the screening free of charge to school families, as well as area pastors, social workers, educators, counselors and anyone concerned with mental health and teens today.

From filmmaker and physician Delaney Ruston, director of Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, comes this second film about helping young people thrive in our screen and stress-filled world.

Ruston uses a personal lens and professional eye to help us flip the script on stress, anxiety, and depression. The film follows Delaney as she finds herself at a loss on how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional well being. Ruston sets out to understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society, and how parents and schools empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience.

The impact of social media and other screen time is incorporated in all the topics raised in this film and how it may be impacting teens’ mental health.

Some of the featured experts in the film include:

Daniel Pine, MD, Chief Psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health

Dan Siegel, MD, Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA

Drs. John and Julie Gottman, founders of The Gottman Institute

Ronald E. Dahl, MD., Center on the Developing Adolescent at UC Berkeley

Laura Kastner, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Wise-Minded Parenting

Ned Johnson, co-author of The Self-Driven Child

Adriana Galvan, Ph.D., Chair in Behavioral Neuroscience UCLA

Lynn Lyons, MSW, Author of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents

Panel Discussion
The free showing in the school’s auditorium at EMS will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Judy Mullet, retired psychology and education professor from Eastern Mennonite University, and Debbie Katz, EMHS counselor.

View the movie trailer here.

Reserve a seat in the auditorium (no charge) by registering online here.

Access the auditorium is the EMS upper building from Parkwood Drive. Traveling easter off of Route 42, pass the building on the left and turn into the lane. Watch for signs. Proceed to the large lot behind the building.

Visitation Opportunity
People who are interested in learning more about Eastern Mennonite School for grades 6 to 12 are invited to come at 6 p.m. for an informational session and building tour hosted by the admissions office. Refreshments will be available.

Registered visitors will have seats reserved for the film screening. The visitation session will end at 6:45.

To attend the 6 p.m. visitation, park in front of the building at 801 Parkwood Drive and enter the glass doors to access the building’s Commons.

Contact Marsha Thomas of EMS Admissions to register for the visit or get more information, admissions@easternmennonite.org or call 540-236-6021.

Sponsors
The evening is sponsored by area pediatricians, counselors and other mental health practitioners.