Hi, I am Deborah Cavitt, Manager of Education and Advocacy in MACMH’s Youth and Family team. My passion is to educate, coach, and empower youth and families to give them hope, knowledge, and resources to promote resilience, recovery, and mental wellness.
As a parent with lived experience navigating the systems of mental health care for my children, I understand the importance of family peer support during tough times. At MACMH I have trained many parents and caregivers to be Certified Family Peer Specialists to support families of children with diagnosed mental health disorders.
Before coming to MACMH, I was a classroom teacher for twenty years and a prevention specialist for a substance abuse agency. My bachelor’s degree is in education and psychology and my master’s degree is in human service with specializations in mental health and substance abuse counseling.
At MACMH I present to educators, mental health professionals, community groups, and parents on Early Warning Signs of Children’s Mental Health Disorders, Suicide Prevention, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Bullying Prevention and many other topics related to child and adolescent mental health. Through federal, state and local grants I help bring model programming to schools including Sources of Strength and Teen Mental Health First Aid to high school students.