908-575-7350

TSANJ Announces Schedule of Support Group Meetings for Somerset and Hunderton County

SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey (TSANJ) has announced the dates for the continuing series of 2005/2006 Support Group meetings for individuals, family, and friends of those impacted by Tourette Syndrome (TS). Run in conjunction with nine affiliated hospitals across the state, the facilitated Support Groups educate attendees on a variety of TS-related issues and provide an opportunity to exchange information and problem-solve.

Parents, teachers, and medical professionals are invited to attend. Call TSANJ at 908-575-7350 or visit the website at www.tsanj.org for details and directions. There is no charge to attend.

Somerset/Hunterdon County Family Support Group
Somerset Medical Center, 100 Rehill Avenue, Conference Rooms C & D, Somerville, NJ Monday evenings from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Scheduled Meetings:
January 23, 2006
Special presentation by the Tourette Syndrome Clinic at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). Representatives will address the benefits of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and the services offers including social skills groups for children and parent support groups.

Future meeting dates:
March 27, 2006
May 22, 2006

Cancellation of support group meetings due to weather will be posted to the website at www.tsanj.org. Contact us at 908-575-7350 or www.njtsa.org for driving directions and calendar updates.

BACKGROUNDER:
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is an inherited neurological disorder that is manifested in involuntary physical and vocal tics. Symptoms generally appear before an individual is 18 years old. TS affects people of all ethnic groups with males affected 3 to 4 times more frequently than females. It is estimated that 200,000 Americans have full blown TS and that as many as 1 in 200 show a partial expression of the disorder. There is no cure for TS.

The mission of TSANJ is to support the needs of families with TS, to advocate for individuals with TS, and to educate the public and professionals about TS. TSANJ has a membership of 2,500 families and medical professionals. The organization relies completely on its membership, corporations, government, and foundations to fund its mission.

Currently TSANJ operates 9 support groups at regional medical centers across New Jersey; conducts awareness training for teachers, school nurses, students and community leaders; manages a TS help line for disseminating information about TS to parents, teachers, doctors, and others; and works with Rutgers University at the nation’s only student clinician TS clinic, developing support programs and treatments for families dealing with TS.

TSANJ is collaborating with UMDNJ Medical Schools and Rutgers University to create a New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders (NJCTS). The NJ Center will offer a much-needed diagnosis and treatment resource for the thousands of New Jersey families with TS. In addition to serving the medical and psychological needs of TS families, the Center will become a resource for TS patients and families willing to participate in controlled research studies into the causes and effective treatments of TS and associated disorders.