Members: $10; non-members: $18; includes light refreshments 

Join us for our next Reel to Real in which we have some snacks, watch a movie together, then explore the cinematic themes and how they play out in real life. This month’s selection is The Miracle Worker (1962).

In this film we witness the Keller family centered around the blind and deaf daughter, Helen, played by Oscar-winner, Patty Duke. Her father offers her every kind of help that he can afford, while her mother allows her everything she wants, expecting nothing of Helen. Then Annie (Anne Bancroft) arrives, who understands that unless Helen really learns what language is, and how to use it to relate to others, she will be doomed to isolation.

This Reel to Real presentation will explore the human condition through the lens of the parent-child relationship (our first relationship) and examine ideas of containment, trust, unconditional love and the struggle we all face, like Helen, to break through walls of silence and darkness towards connection.

About the presenter: Scott Bloom has spent his 33-year career at the intersection of mental health, schools, and communities. He was the founding director of School Mental Health Services for the New York City Department of Education, where he built a city-wide system of mental health services and resources in over 1800 city schools to better serve the needs of 1.2 million students and families. Mr. Bloom has certification as a psychotherapist and a private practice and supervision in New York City.