The communities of mid-coast Maine have been discovering the wealth of support, information and services at Seasons of Change, A Community Center for Health and Healing, since the October 1 opening.

Operations Manager Sarah Sherman McGrail recently announced updates about current programs and information about new ones in the offing.

A teen sobriety group, now in its seventh week, is offered on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. upstairs. Andrea DiBenedetto and Debbie Taylor, drug and alcohol counselors at Wiscasset High School, run the group.

The group is open to all midcoast high school students and is used by some schools as an alternative to suspension for drug or alcohol-related offenses.

Alternatively, students uncomfortable in a group situation can complete the sobriety sessions on a one-on-one basis.

This class is not exclusively associated with high school drug and alcohol programs - any teen can attend at any time they decide they want help.

Both DiBenedetto and Taylor are available for intervention facilitation.

"Create your own dream" is a program slated for the spring. McGrail stressed that it will not duplicate any services currently implemented at area high schools.

"So many kids do not have support at home, or finances for extra-curricular activities, for a variety of reasons," said McGrail. "We want to be the resource, the opportunity to participate in creative endeavors, attend cultural events and experience learning through guest artists."

McGrail plans to pitch the idea to eighth grade students at schools this spring.

This program will also have a practical side for students who need extra individual time with a professional to find answers.

Questions about what scholarships exist, which ones might be right for a particular student, to how to apply for scholarships and grants are some of the additional services McGrail would like to incorporate in this program.

This creative time frame on Fridays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. features imaginative exploration in such mediums as clay works, collage and mosaics, comic art, illustration, self-portraiture, T-shirt graphics w/lino blocks and the study of the masters.

Tanja Rollins, art director and a receptionist at the Center, will lead these classes.

Anyone with a son or daughter who has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is aware of the additional daily struggles attached to it.

Issues that arise for the parent and the child as they seek to create "normalcy" in their lives can create feelings of being misunderstood and isolation.

The parent support group beginning at Seasons of Change will included discussion that explores alternatives to treatment by medication, whether or not a correct diagnosis has been made, the exchange of ideas and scenarios that have helped and those that have hindered the family's dynamic. Contact McGrail for more information.

A new group for men aged 18 and over, to be led by George Goodwin on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30, can encompass a myriad of issues.

Grieving, post-traumatic stress issues, daily stressors and how to deal with them, changes in employment, making ends meet - whatever is on the minds of the men of the group.

McGrail, author of "Southport: The War Years" and "Heroes Among Us," said that the veterans who are in contact with her say they are tired of being told there is nothing wrong with them or just being given a medication and sent on their way.

McGrail and James contacted a professional friend of Karen Diley (now seeing patients at the center once a week) with a psychiatric practice in Bath, Dr. Paul Perkins.

"Dr. Perkins has wanted to step away from medication and look at alternative ways of dealing with this type of stress," McGrail said. "A lot of these individuals were just given a label. No one explained what the disorder was and the effect it can have on mind, body and spirit."

McGrail will facilitate and Perkins will lead the group discussions to include mindfulness.

Perkins recently held a two-week seminar on mindfulness at Harvard.

Psychotherapist Diana Lyn James, Rollins and McGrail have acquired other staff members since October 1.

Seeing patients on Tuesdays is Karen Diley, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who holds a doctorate of Juris Prudence from the New England School of Law in Boston.

Diley has worked in Portland and Brunswick as a crisis clinician and as an outpatient mental health clinician for Sweetser.

She has also served as a Guardian Ad Litem in the Kennebec, Sagadahoc and Lincoln County court systems.

McGrail and James are currently looking for another psychotherapist (master's level and licensed in Maine) to see patients four days per week.

Two relatively new staffers at Seasons of Change are Esme McTighe and Don Brewer, Jr.

McTighe is often the first person one meets at Seasons of Change as the friendly, knowledgeable receptionist. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and was an editor in Boston for many years.

Brewer, known by many as an accomplished rock and blues guitarist/songwriter, is also a technology guru who can often be found doubling as a receptionist.

Brewer is also a Web site designer, and has been putting the finishing touches on the center's site.

Brewer, McTighe and McGrail make up the Seasons of Change grant writing team.

Researching and writing grants is a crucial element to the turning of the wheel at Seasons of Change - ninety percent of the clientele utilizing the center are uninsured, and a large percentage of these patients are children.

For more information, or to sign up for any of the support groups, or to seek private counseling or lifecoaching, contact Seasons of Change at 882-6700.

www.seasonsofchangecommunitycenter.org