CEA Advisor December 2023 January 2024 web

BENEFITING

16 CEA ADVISOR DECEMBER 2023 – JANUARY 2024

Make the Most of Your CEA Membership! CEA Member Benefits include everything from free wellness services to discounts and exclusive offers on everyday purchases and special events. Check out these and other CEA member exclusives at cea.org/discounts .

RESTARTING!

JUST ADDED!

Virtual Teacher Support Group

Free admission for CEA members, $10 off additional admissions, and 20% off any level of membership (online claim only)

Teaching is one of the most rewarding as well as stressful professions, and CEA has partnered with behavioral health nonprofit Positive Directions to ensure educators are well-supported. A state-licensed outpatient service, Positive Directions hosts a weekly virtual support group just for CEA members. Designed specifically for educators, small group counseling sessions create a shared experience where colleagues doing similar work come together, lean on each other, and provide help and insights that those outside the education system might find difficult to understand. A separate group was also created for teachers involved in DCF investigations, which can be tremendously isolating and devastating. “Positive Directions started its teacher support group in 2020, during COVID, because everyone needed extra mental health support,” says Positive Directions Executive Director Vanessa Wilson (pictured above, fourth from left). “We were interested in identifying gaps in service and needs, and our group for teachers became extremely popular. CEA helped bring it to a wider audience.” The way it works, she says, is that when teachers register to participate in a support group session (lasting up to 10 weeks), they are invited to suggest topics they’d like to see covered. Common issues include burnout, lack of administrator support, additional work without additional resources, work life balance, and COVID’s long aftermath. “Even on your busiest days you have to develop a practice of self-care,” Wilson says. “It may be hard to see how it fits into your schedule short term, but it’s crucial in the long run. Our confidential groups for teachers offer a safe place to gain support from each other with the help of a facilitator who’s a licensed professional counselor associate. Each group is capped at 15 participants, so it stays small and intimate, and our teachers truly appreciate that.” Curious? Register today for Positive Directions’ teacher support group at cea.org/mental-health-support-group-counseling . The next session begins January 23, 2024.

20% off café and bar purchases

$150 off any 10-week fitness and nutrition transformation challenge at their South Windsor location and online

NEW SHOWS

CEA members save at least 10% on all Broadway shows and other select performances at this historic Waterbury theater. Coming up: On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan (December 15 & 16) and The Hip Hop Nutcracker (December 30)

RENEWED!

CEA members save on tickets to the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic (Dec. 16), PAW Patrol Live! (Jan. 13 & 14), and more!

BJ’s Wholesale Club CEA members may open or extend a BJ’s membership at a discounted rate. Don’t miss the current enrollment period, which ends Dec. 29!

Catch all the action at the XL Center along with CEA discounts on The Harlem Globetrotters World Tour (Dec. 29) and more!

VISIT CEA.ORG/DISCOUNTS FOR DETAILS