Florida Blue Foundation has awarded Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) $360,762 to bring hope and healing to children and their families, and educate the community, by supporting the development and distribution of our unique curriculum called "A Way of Being with Children".
Mental health services are in demand more than ever before, particularly strategies to promote well-being and resilience. This is especially true in the case of children who have struggled under the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them experiencing fear, isolation, and the toxic stress that results from sustained periods of intense, unmitigated anxiety. Some children have tragically experienced profound abuse and neglect. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, Center for Child Counseling's mission has always focused on employing a trauma-informed method to help infants, children, and their families heal after trauma and go on to thrive. Over the past fifteen years, we have developed a unique, scientifically-based approach that is new way of working and simply 'being' with children.
Now, Florida Blue Foundation has awarded Center for Child Counseling a $360,762 grant over four years to support the development and implementation of the virtual component of our “A Way of Being with Children” curriculum. This will include community-wide training, awareness, program services, oversight, and evaluation.
The curriculum includes a 78-page printed guide and online training modules based in the latest brain science and knowledge of early childhood development. The training will include background information as well as practical hints and tips for building better, stronger relationships with children.
"We could not be more grateful to Florida Blue Foundation for their committed support," said CFCC's CEO Renée Layman. "It comes at a time when we are inundated with requests for services, particularly online assistance which allows parents, teachers, and caregivers the flexibility to learn at a time that is convenient for them. This vital information provides not only teachers with an opportunity to enhance their own understanding of childhood mental health but also informs the community at large in a way that is engaging, practical, and can make a real difference in the lives of our children."
The “A Way of Being with Children” curriculum is a transformative approach to childhood development and mental health that focuses on brain development, reflective listening, choices, limit setting, and building resilience -- all of which helps children self-regulate and feel empowered while still enjoying play and the natural joys of childhood.
About Florida Blue Foundation
Florida Blue Foundation enables healthy communities by making grants, building coalitions and rewarding best practices. More than three million people in Florida have received direct health services as a result of grants made to nonprofit organizations since our founding in 2001. Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Founded in 1999, Center for Child Counseling supports children, families, and caregivers through prevention, early intervention, and services focused on mitigating the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, building positive relationships that buffer the impact of trauma. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood is directly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Thousands of children in Palm Beach County experience stressful life events that will impact them for a lifetime without intervention. In 2019, Center for Child Counseling served over 3,800 children through six clinical programs and provided training for over 3,500 professionals, students, and caregivers to build adult capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of children.
Social Media:
Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC
Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling
YouTube: Center for Child Counseling
Instagram: childcounselpbc
Center for Child Counseling is thrilled to announce that we have been been selected as a top-five finalist in the Palm Beach Post’s annual Best of Palm Beach County Awards 2021. This is a tremendous honor in recognition of the tireless work we do in support of infant and childhood mental health.
The Covid-19 pandemic has stretched many local communities to the breaking point and our services to help children and families heal from trauma and regain hope are needed now more than ever before.
We encourage our supporters to stand behind us with their vote. Voting is open online from 12/23 to 1/10 – and you can vote everyday! It just takes two clicks to demonstrate your advocacy and support for children’s mental health rights.
Our dedicated Board Member and Director of Legal Education, Eddie Stephens, is also nominated for his professionalism in Marital and Family Law as a partner at Ward Damon Law Firm. Stephens has served as a Board Member with the organization since 2017 and is crucial to our community education efforts In the legal field. You can show your support for his tireless efforts on behalf of children and families with a vote for him, too.
It’s that time of year when we all start to think about resolutions. How can we do better in 2021, as individuals and as a community? There is no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in recent memory, driven primarily by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Consider some of the momentous implications of the global pandemic:
Fear, general uncertainty, and distress have permeated our lives
All these circumstances mean we are facing an unprecedented mental and behavioral health crisis. As always, it is often the children who bear the brunt of adults’ decisions; they are forced to face high-stress situations they had no part in creating. Even strong parents are feeling exhausted and burnt out both in their jobs and their personal lives. As we reflect on 2020, there’s no doubt we all feel the need to try and do better in the future. So, as we begin to think about how we would like our homes, communities, and work spaces to be in the year ahead, there is probably no more effective resolution than to decide to improve our interactions with other people, so that we can all acknowledge the traumatic life experiences we have undoubtedly lived through.
Resolving to work out more at the gym, lose weight, or focus on healthy eating are all great New Year goals, but why not decide to change your outlook in 2021 to focus on becoming a more trauma-informed and compassionate human being? You could also decide to bring this new attitude to your workplace whether it’s a physical location or a series of online interactions and meetings.
The way we choose to see and work with people can change our own lives. What does it mean to be trauma-informed? And what are the benefits of growing more trauma-informed organizations in our communities?
The National Healthcare Council for the Homeless describes a trauma-informed organization as one that has undergone a “practice transformation which recognizes the trauma of clients, staff, and the community, and creates an organizational structure that avoids re-traumatization and encourages healing.” There are several simple ways you can move your life and your work towards a more trauma-informed place.
Education, Training, and Understanding
Organizations are comprised of people, individuals, and so building a more true-informed organization means helping people to understand how trauma affects human beings, their relationships, and even their capacity to cope with stress and other difficult circumstances. Science shows that childhood trauma can significantly impact the healthy brain development of infants and very young children. In extreme cases, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) can result in permanent cognitive impairment (especially if positive, buffering influences are absent).
It is important to understand that there is established science in the field of trauma and its effects, and we need to be informed on the subject. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network outlines some of these issues, including how children of trauma may have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions. They often display atypical stress reactions which can result in depression, anxiety, or anger. They can struggle to form successful relationships and may react in unusual ways to situations that others may cope with easily. All of these issues follow children into their adulthood. These children of trauma are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. We interact with traumatized people every day and understanding them goes a long way to improving interactions and relationships with them.
To this end, Center for Child Counseling has developed a series of trainings for professionals and the community at large which delve into the science of trauma and help people understand it better. We encourage you and your organization’s staff to take advantage of these free and low-cost educational opportunities.
Attitude Adjustment
The primary factor in becoming more trauma-informed is one of attitude. This may sound deceptively simple, but it’s also the hardest aspect to master. Because attitude is developed over time, many of us retain views and opinions about others we learned as children. Often, these views are based on outdated and ignorant biases, racism, and skepticism. Our views of different groups may be stereotypical and mostly negative. It is only when we come to know or interact with someone from that group that we learn our beliefs are misconceptions, deeply untrue. A shift in attitude involves leaving these old attitudes behind. The same principle holds true when we interact with people who’ve experienced trauma in childhood or later on in life. They may react in ways that seem odd to us, overreact, or refuse to engage in productive conversations about issues. Rather than being exasperated by these responses, it helps to dig a little deeper and try to understand where the response is coming from.
We have no way of knowing what others have experienced in their past. So, we must use a trauma-informed response to their behavior. This involves adjusting our attitude from one of blaming to one of questioning, from assigning a negative response to assigning an open one that allows for communication. In the simplest sense, it means asking not what’s wrong with the other person but rather what might’ve happened to them that is causing them to react in a given way.
Becoming trauma-informed is not the result of making a single change or taking a single step. It is the result of cumulative changes within the individual and the organization. It also requires constant awareness, sensitivity, and an attitude shift among all individuals within an organization. For those providing direct care, professional training is most likely required in order to bring an organization to a more trauma-informed place.
Support for Staff
You can choose to be the trauma-informed person in your extended family, your community, or your workplace. If you are in the position to provide leadership within your organization, you can choose to implement more trauma-informed policies and procedures. Even adopting a few principles for your workplace can create a better, more supportive environment for people managing the effects of trauma. This will undoubtedly help to improve relationships between colleagues and enhance productivity.
At Center for Child Counseling, we pride ourselves on being a trauma-informed organization and all our skilled therapists work from a place of compassion, understanding, acceptance, and genuine concern. While we always show our clients and their families the respect and care they are due, we also extend that same respect and care to our employees. Providing therapy and counseling to children and families affected by trauma has been our mission since the founding of the organization, but we also understand that this is not easy work and that it requires very special people to do it and do it well. Few jobs can be as emotionally demanding as that of mental and behavioral health professionals, so we safeguard the well-being of our staff in many ways, including encouraging self-care and providing weekly supervision meetings to support each member individually.
Recently, we received grants from BeWellPBC and Healthier Jupiter for our “Healing the Healers” initiative. This involves providing training, resources, and extra support to our staff so that they can, in turn, provide that extra care to our clients. It is our goal to expand this program to provide it to other organizations and we are seeking funding to do so. There has never been a more crucial or critical time to invest in support for caregivers.
So, as 2021 approaches, let’s commit to bringing more kindness, compassion, and care to our interactions with others. It’s only by expanding our capacity for love that we can counteract the pervasive negativity all around us. There is a saying, often attributed to Plato, that states: “Be kind to all you meet, for everyone is in the midst of a great struggle.” If we adopt the attitude that the human experience can be challenging and that we all need support at times, we can start to mend the divisions between us and grow happier children, stronger families, and more resilient communities.
Sign up now for news, events, and education about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promoting resilience.
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from: Center for Child Counseling, 8895 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.
CFCC staff members (left to right) Audrey Schofield, Renée Layman, and Dominika Nolan display the Healthier Jupiter grant check.
We Focus on Supporting the Mental Health of Our Therapists as They Help Others
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – November 20, 2020:
Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) is pleased to announce that we have received a $2,500 mini grant from Healthier Jupiter to support their innovative and responsive “Healing the Healers” online learning series. These topical workshops have been specially designed to support frontline mental health therapists at the organization, which provides mental health services to children and families in Palm Beach County, particularly those who have experienced trauma. This is taxing working requiring intensive expertise and compassion and mental health professionals need support so that they can, in turn, effectively support their clients.
Workshop topics include Stress, Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Trauma, Burnout and Trauma Among Black Healers, Symptoms of Burnout, The Biology of Burnout, Self-Care, and Self-Care Strategies.
The Healthier Jupiter grant will fund ongoing development of a series of online workshops using CFCC’s learning platform. The workshops are designed to encourage self-care, support mental health, and decrease burnout in helping professions. Piloted and designed in 2020 to support the 55 therapists at CFCC. With additional funding, the series will be available for other helping professionals in Jupiter, throughout Palm Beach County, and beyond.
Burnout is a long-term reaction to occupational stress which involves, particularly, helping professions. Burnout can be caused by secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, stress or moral injury. According to several studies, it appears that up to 67% of mental health workers may be experiencing high levels of burnout, with significant impact of COVID-19 to be determined. Leading researchers anticipate an ‘echo pandemic’ of mental health issues long after the physical pandemic has passed. We will see increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and suicide, escalating the demand for healers and helpers who are supported and mentally healthy themselves to serve a community in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Healthier Jupiter’s Mini-Grant Program: For the fifth year in a row, Healthier Jupiter will offer $2,500 Mini-Grants to impact the health of our community. The goal of the Mini-Grant program is to fund projects that address healthy eating, active living and mental health in new, innovative and community-centered ways. These projects will create lasting and transformative change in the health, wellness and success of the greater Jupiter community. Not-for-profits, government agencies, civic organizations, public schools, school-based groups, houses of worship, businesses and individuals are encouraged to submit applications. Healthier Jupiter is part of the Palm Health Foundation’s Healthier Together Initiative, a long-term, community-driven approach to solving a community’s complex healthcare issues.
Founded in 1999, Center for Child Counseling supports children, families, and caregivers through direct services focused on preventing and healing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, building positive relationships that buffer the impact of trauma. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood is directly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Thousands of children in Palm Beach County experience stressful life events that will impact them for a lifetime without intervention. In 2019, Center for Child Counseling served over 3,800 children through six clinical programs and provided training for over 3,500 professionals, students, and caregivers to build adult capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of children. www.centerforchildcounseling.org/
Social Media: Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC
Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling
YouTube: Center for Child Counseling
Instagram: childcounselpbc
Center for Child Counseling is proud to announce that two members of our leadership team have been nominated in the “Nonprofit Professional of the Year” category for 2020’s Hats Off Nonprofits Awards, the prestigious awards hosted annually by Nonprofits First. We are the only organization to have two team members nominated in this category, a credit to the caliber and dedication of our skilled staff.
Anne-Marie Brown, LCSW, MSW, MCAP, CIP, ICADC, has worked in the field of mental health for over 15 years. She is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, a TF-CBT Certified Therapist, an EMDR Consultant in Training, a Registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, and a Qualified Supervisor for addiction professional candidates. Anne-Marie has experience working with children, adults, and families who have experienced significant trauma, adolescents and adults struggling with substance use disorders, and individuals with co-occurring disorders. She currently focuses on providing individual, family, and group therapy for children and caregivers who have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect through our Childhood Trauma Response Program.
Dominika Nolan, MS, LMHC, RPT, NCC, CCMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor, registered play therapist, national certified counselor and certified clinical mental health counselor. She is the Director of Center for Child Counseling’s Institute for Clinical Training. Dominika is a member of EMDR International Association and she is a Registered Circle of Security Parenting facilitator. Dominika has training in Play Therapy, Sand Tray and Art Therapy techniques, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), Infant Mental Health, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has experience working with children, teenagers, and adults, providing individual, family, and group therapy.
Both women exemplify the commitment, compassion, and care that Center for Child Counseling brings to each and every interaction with Palm Beach County’s children and families and represent the organization’s values of integrity, professionalism, and excellence.
Center for Child Counseling is also nominated in the “Nonprofits of the Year (Large)” category. The organization was named “Nonprofit of the Year (Medium)” in 2018. Past winners from CFCC include our CEO, Renée Layman, for Executive of the Year and our Chief Program Officer, Lauren Scirrotto, won last year’s Professional of the Year award.
Founded in 1999, Center for Child Counseling supports children, families, and caregivers through direct services focused on preventing and healing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, building positive relationships that buffer the impact of trauma. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood is directly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Thousands of children in Palm Beach County experience stressful life events that will impact them for a lifetime without intervention. In 2019, Center for Child Counseling served over 3,800 children through six clinical programs and provided training for over 3,500 professionals, students, and caregivers to build adult capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of children.
Social Media:
Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC
Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling
YouTube: Center for Child Counseling
Instagram: childcounselpbc
Center for Child Counseling, Inc. is proud to announce that Eddie Stephens has been appointed the organization’s Director of Legal Education. Stephens, who has served as a Board Member of Center for Child Counseling since 2017 is a Board Certified Marital & Family Lawyer and is a partner at the Ward Damon Law Firm. He is past chair of the Family Law Section Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee where he developed the Family Law Section’s most successful CLE webinar series which was produced for ten years.
Stephens brings those talents to the Center for Child Counseling where he has already created 17 hours of accredited CLE and his team has recently committed to producing an additional 30 hours of accredited content via his monthly CLE Series “Stephens’ Squibs – Monthly Family Law CLE” through July 2022 and has a goal to generate $100,000 per year in revenue for the Center for Child Counseling. “This is a neat opportunity to provide service to the professional in a way that has a significant impact on the most vulnerable families in Florida. It also frees us from any bureaucratic restrictions and gives us complete creative control. This allows us to do things that have never been done before by any other CLE provider, which is a lot of fun.”
Center for Child Counseling’s CEO, Renée Layman, sees great value in the partnership and Stephen’s unique and innovative offerings. “Part of our commitment to childhood and family mental health is to help build a more trauma-informed community. This legal education series is a huge part of ensuring members of our legal, judicial, and corrections sectors work with children and families in a way that ensures they are not re-traumatized. The financial contribution is wonderful for the organization but we’re equally delighted that our message of hope and healing based on the latest scientific understanding of childhood brain development reaches every corner of our community.”
In addition, Stephens’ law partner, Caryn A. Stevens, has been appointed Vice-Chair of Legal Education for the Center for Child Counseling, Inc. “Caryn is an incredible attorney, and was a mental health professional in another life,” said Stephens, “Having her as my right hand has been instrumental to creating this content.” After several years of editing Stephens’ written case law summaries, Stevens is thrilled to be able to contribute monthly content to assist other Family Law professionals in a fun and innovative way, while also having a hand in raising funds for such an important agency.
Neither Stephens, nor any of the attorneys who work on this project receive any compensation whatsoever.
The series for existing subscribers will continue through July 15, at which time they will need to re-subscribe to continue with their 2nd year of education. New subscribers are welcome to register at any time.
Episode 4 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – November 15, 2020
Episode 5 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – December 15, 2020
Episode 6 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – January 15, 2021
Episode 7 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – February 15, 2021
Episode 8 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – March 15, 2021
Episode 9 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – April 15, 2021
Episode 10 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – May 15, 2021
Episode 11 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – June 15, 2021
Episode 12 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – July 15, 2021
[END OF SUBSCIPTION YEAR 1]
Episode 13 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – August 15, 2021
Episode 14 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – September 15, 2021
Episode 15 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – October 15, 2021
3rd Annual Family Law Mental Health Summit – November 1, 2021
Episode 16 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – November 15, 2021
Episode 17 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – December 15, 2021
Episode 18 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – January 15, 2022
Episode 19 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – February 15, 2022
Episode 20 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – March 15, 2022
Episode 21 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law – April 15, 2022
Episode 22 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – May 15, 2022
Episode 23 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – June 15, 2022
Episode 24 – Stephens’ Squibs Monthly Family Law CLE – July 15, 2022
[END OF SUBSCIPTION YEAR 2]
Background
Founded in 1999, Center for Child Counseling supports children, families, and caregivers through direct services focused on preventing and healing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, building positive relationships that buffer the impact of trauma. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood is directly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Thousands of children in Palm Beach County experience stressful life events that will impact them for a lifetime without intervention. In 2019, Center for Child Counseling served over 3,800 children through six clinical programs and provided training for over 3,500 professionals, students, and caregivers to build adult capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of children.
Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC
Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling
YouTube: Center for Child Counseling
Instagram: childcounselpbc
The recent uncertainty of the election is adding yet another stressor to the lives of Florida families. What started with the outbreak of a global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 which has resulted in unprecedented financial strain, the difficulties of juggling home schooling with fulltime work, soaring rates of abuse and neglect in a growing number of homes, the pain of systemic racism and a growing social justice movement. All these complicated issues are challenging for adults. Can you imagine how bewildered, scared, and sad our little ones might be?
Are your children faring well under the current set of challenges? How do you know? The key is open communication and regular check-ins with children of all ages. If behaviors change, particularly if you notice changes in your child’s usual demeanor or if they start to neglect or avoid things they used to enjoy. While some of this can be chalked up to simply growing up or moving from one developmental stage to the next, if you have concerns, it’s smart to look for help.
As Palm Beach County’s preeminent provider of mental health services, Center for Child Counseling has focused on developing a wealth of online services for our clients, which include children aged birth to 18 and their families, especially for those who have experienced trauma. For more than twenty years, we’ve helped families heal and regain hope regardless of the complexity of their situations and experiences.
Free, Online Parenting Workshops
Center for Child Counseling offers direct in-person services (complying with social distancing) and telehealth options, if needed, but our free online trainings are a great resource for families to explore from their own homes and at their own convenience. They cover everyday issues many families face and can be taken at your convenience. Our trainings include the latest scientific research and decades of combined experience of skilled, compassionate therapists.
Supporting Children During COVID-19: Your effectiveness as a parent or caregiver is seldom more important than during times of crisis like the current Covid-19 outbreak. Now, more than ever, the children in your care are looking to you to provide stability and soothe their fears and anxiety.
How to Help My Child Listen: Parenting can be challenging at times. All parents experience defiance regardless of their child’s age. If you are trying to teach your child to follow directions join us in this online workshop. (English, Spanish, Haitian Creole)
How to Structure Your Child’s Day for Success: Routine brings comfort and consistency to a child’s life. If you are trying to set a routine at home join us for this online workshop to learn strategies that work. (English, Spanish, Haitian Creole)
A Guide to Effectively Parenting Teens: If you have a teenager, you likely already know that adolescence provides new challenges as you face family conflicts. Surviving (your child’s) adolescence can be difficult. Join us today to learn new ways to understand your teen, and to communicate with them effectively.
Center for Child Counseling also offers simple, practical ideas for encouraging play with your children. Play is essential because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and well-being of your child. Play also offers a great opportunity for you, as a parent or caregiver, to positively engage and interact with your child. At every age, from birth through the teenage years, play teaches children vital life lessons. You can learn about exciting, new ways to engage with your child in pretend play, sensory activities, arts and crafts, journaling, and outdoor/nature play on our website at www.centerforchildcounseling.org/waystoplay
Background
Founded in 1999, Center for Child Counseling supports children, families, and caregivers through direct services focused on preventing and healing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, building positive relationships that buffer the impact of trauma. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood is directly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Thousands of children in Palm Beach County experience stressful life events that will impact them for a lifetime without intervention. In 2019, Center for Child Counseling served over 3,800 children through six clinical programs and provided training for over 3,500 professionals, students, and caregivers to build adult capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of children.
At Center for Child Counseling, a large part of our responsibility is to help educate the community about issues affecting childhood mental health and to encourage a more trauma-informed approach to interacting with children and families in Palm Beach County and throughout Florida. To do this, we offer free trainings on a variety of topics and work with groups from countless sectors like education, child welfare, healthcare, corrections, and law enforcement.
This year, the summit has gone online and will be available on November 1 for $200 for 4.5 hours of CLE. You can learn more about the summit or read and subscribe to Eddie Stephens’ blog here.
Ahead of the availability of the summit, we are proud to announce the recipients of the following awards:
This year’s recipient of Center for Child Counseling’s “Judge Ron Alvarez Resiliency Award” is Dori Foster-Morales. The award is named in honor of the pioneering legal mind who worked for children’s rights long before we fully understood the impact of ACEs on society. The award recognizes those in the legal profession who are advocates for a fuller understanding of the science of adversity as it pertains to the law and who work to promote a more trauma-informed approach to legal practice. Ms. Foster-Morales is the current President of the Florida Bar and she has made it her mission to bring mental health and wellness awareness to the forefront of the 107,000 members of the Florida Bar. She truly embodies the spirit of retired circuit court Judge Ron Alvarez and we’re so proud to have her as a powerful ally in our fight against ACEs.
Laura Davis Smith has been selected as Center for Child Counseling’s 2020 Recipient of the “Jane Robinson Child Advocacy Award” named after Jane Robinson who founded Center for Child Counseling more than two decades ago and has dedicated her professional career to promoting the best interests of children and infant and childhood mental health. Ms. Davis Smith is a Board-Certified Family Attorney and past chair of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar. She is a tireless advocate for children and we proudly acknowledge her efforts on their behalf in the courtroom and in our community.
Many parents are breathing a sigh of relief this month as their children return to in-person learning at school. While it’s a welcome break from juggling the competing needs of home schooling and work for some parents, others have mixed feelings about schools re-opening. Parents’ responses range from mild concern to extreme reservation. The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused intense feelings of stress, fear, and apprehension but the return to school brings its own set of uncertainties. Are our schools safe? Are we, as a society, prepared to tackle future outbreaks? Is our children’s mental health being considered?
While the return to school may seem like a return to normal, it’s anything but. Schools will be tasked with managing the results of the past year when homes have been thrown into turmoil, financial strain has been extreme, and children’s minds have been confused and overwhelmed by the constant barrage of (often mixed) pandemic messages. Prior to the pandemic, children were already experiencing more mental health concerns, including escalating rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide rates tripling from 2007-2017 for those ages 10-14 years old. Researchers expect the post-pandemic mental health crisis to cause these numbers to rise even more.
Pandemic pandemonium aside, every day thousands of children arrive at school deeply affected by the circumstances in their homes and communities. ACEs describe specific adverse experiences that occur before the age of 18, but childhood trauma can be caused by circumstances that exist outside the home, too. The latest understanding of ACEs acknowledges that in the absence of buffering relationships, intangible situations like racism, fear of neighborhood gangs, bullying, and countless other unmitigated societal ills can cause the toxic stress that hampers brain development and delays children’s normal, healthy growth.
Currently, children have the added burden of an international health disaster. We cannot underestimate the profound impact this global crisis has had on our children. We also cannot fully predict the extent and exact nature of the mental health fallout, or ‘echo pandemic’ we are likely to experience as children come to terms with the isolation, changed family circumstances, fear, and anxiety of spending months and months at home, many of them in abusive or neglectful environments.
The following graphic, courtesy of ACEs Connection, shows how adversity affects children at home, in the community, and in the overall atmosphere or environment in which they live. Children bring adversity from all three of these realms with them to school.
So why does it make sense to focus a large portion of our childhood mental health efforts on schools? Quite simply because that’s where children are for a good portion of most days. Bringing services to where children are makes sense, but it also makes for stronger, better schools and improved educational outcomes. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, mental health plays a crucial part in a child’s academic success as well as their future success in life. Students who have access to social–emotional and mental health support at school do better in their studies and are generally better adjusted to face life’s ups and downs. These children enjoy stronger relationships and are more likely to participate in a wide range of sports and extracurricular activities. A school that works on its mental health climate and encourages both student connectedness and teacher wellbeing is a school that is going to be a healthy place where students feel free to express themselves and where behavior in the classroom is well managed.
Despite the fact that schools which embrace metal health services have been shown to thrive, there is a growing unmet need for mental health services for children and youth. According the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in five children and adolescents experience a mental health problem during their school years. Unfortunately, an estimated 60% of students do not receive treatment due either to stigma or simply the lack of access to services. Of those who do get help, however, nearly two thirds do so only in school. Issues can include anything from depression, to stress and anxiety, bullying, family problems at home, learning difficulties, and alcohol and substance abuse. Serious mental health problems, such as self-harming and suicidal ideation, are on the rise, too.
The Right Intervention At the Right Age
Since we work with children from birth to 18, Center for Child Counseling has formed a close partnership with the Palm Beach County School District in order to bring our unique blend of trauma-informed resiliency building to as many children as possible. Our approach has always focused on prevention and early intervention services, as well as targeted clinical care for those children who need it most. The skills our therapists teach can benefit a child throughout their lifetime, such as self-regulation, executive functioning skills, and healthy relationship building. Our approach is science- and research-based and is founded on the latest understanding of children’s developing brains.
As a general rule, the earlier we can connect with children, the better the outcome is likely to be. This is especially true for children impacted by trauma and abuse, those who are dealing with ACEs. So many of the behaviors exhibited in classrooms (and which are so disruptive to all students) are really just symptoms of an underlying problem a child is finding it difficult to express. Before the necessary language skills develop, these experiences may be expressed by fighting, biting, hitting, and unruly outbursts. Our skilled therapists look for what is happening in a young child’s life that is prompting these behaviors.
But it’s not just children who are struggling who benefit from our in-school support. All children need to develop resiliency or the ability to bounce back from life’s setbacks. Children who do well in the face of hardship usually have a biological resistance to adversity and strong relationships with the important adults in their family and community. Often, teachers can play this role along with parents and caregivers. You can learn more about teachers as buffers in one of our prior blog posts.
Having a mental health professional on-site and available to respond can make all the difference in the environment every student and teacher experiences on a daily basis in their school. Center for Child Counseling operates three programs within the school system:
CCSEW (Childcare and Community Social-Emotional Wellness)
Our CCSEW Program brings on-site prevention, early intervention, and counseling services into childcare centers, schools, and shelters in Palm Beach County. Developing the capacity of adults, through workshops and consultation, in our community to meet the social-emotional needs of young children is an essential part of this program. Our team of CCSEW therapists are co-located in select Palm Beach County Schools as well as childcare centers and shelters throughout Palm Beach County.
Our therapists provide prevention, early intervention, and teacher support services. These services are co-located, with our therapists and interns working as a part of the fabric of the school and community to meet the therapeutic needs of children and their families.
School-Based Mental Health Program
Our School-Based Mental Health Program is conducted by a team of skilled therapists co-located in select Palm Beach County schools who work on-site with more than 1,200 students from pre-Kindergarten to 5th grade. We provide services including classroom support, contact with teachers and caregivers, crisis intervention, and one-on-one therapy support within the school setting, at home, and out in the community.
The goal of this program is to meet the needs the highest-risk students, some of whom may not be identified otherwise and may never be linked to the mental health services that will undoubtedly help them.
Created as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) Public Safety Act for school safety, this program aims to provide students and their families with evidence-based mental health treatment that includes assessment, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, and recovery.
Each SNAP® program provides high-risk youth and their families’ strategies to increase pro-social skills that will help the youth stay in school and out of trouble by making better choices throughout the 13-week program. Youth and their families participate in engaging activities such as group discussions, role-playing, interactive games and self-reflection to address topics including dealing with anger, learning how to cope and practice self-control, engaging in problem solving and learning not to bully and how to prevent bullying. SNAP® is an evidence-based behavioral model that provides a framework for teaching children struggling with behavior issues, and their parents, effective emotional regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. The primary goal of SNAP is to keep children in school and out of trouble by helping them make better choices “in the moment.”
So, as your children head back to school to differing degrees, advocate for their mental health and ask if essential services are available to them. If your school has an on-site therapist, get to know him/her and reach out to them with your questions. The Center for Child Counseling team is equipped to help you with COVID-19-related issues and any of the normal anxieties of life your child might be facing. ACEs at home, in the community, or in the overall environment don’t necessarily have to result in trauma for your child or lifelong negative consequences. Your response to these experiences can make all the difference in the world to your child and their future happiness at school and in life.
Sign up now for news, events, and education about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promoting resilience.
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from: Center for Child Counseling, 8895 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many healthcare providers migrated to HIPAA-compliant online platforms in order to continue providing services; mental health professionals did, too. But what about the unique field of childhood mental health?
At Center for Child Counseling, we use Play Therapy, an established modality based in the latest neuroscience, to work with very young children who don’t necessarily have the verbal skills to express their feelings and experiences. Our CEO, Renée Layman, explains it this way: “Play is a child’s language and toys are their words. Play helps children make sense of their world, express their feelings, and heal after traumatic events. Through play, our skilled therapists can help children process loss, grief, and other circumstances that, if left unaddressed, can affect a person’s lifelong mental and physical health.”
Before the pandemic, children’s mental health was already at a crisis point but the need for care and crisis intervention has only escalated as the continued stress of isolation, lack of support, and dwindling resources cripple families. Children are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect than ever before with evident spikes in physical and sexual abuse. And the end of the pandemic is only the start of what is called the “echo pandemic” – the unanticipated ripple effects of this unprecedented year. “The aftershocks are going to be felt in the mental health field for years to come,” says Layman. “We know that as children return to school, we’re going to see an uptick in abuse reporting, as teachers are often at the front lines of noticing the signs.”
We effectively moved all services online in February, but it was a challenge. Some families weren’t comfortable with the new telehealth technology; others had poor or no internet service. It was a big switch from conducting sessions in Play Therapy rooms at the organization’s offices (or providing in-home or school-based services) to trying to engage children over a screen. “We work with children of all ages, from birth to 18,” explains Stephanie De La Cruz, Center for Child Counseling’s Clinical Director, Clinical Services. “With very young children, our traditional, in-person sessions are very hands-on, but the pandemic changed all that. Our therapists found that the families we serve don’t necessarily have the kinds of toys, books, and activities in their homes that we need to aid children in expressing their feelings, learning coping skills, enjoying free play, and most importantly, working through trauma. We had to address that vacuum of tangible tools.”
We're facing this challenge. As an organization, we embarked on a campaign to provide age-specific, developmentally appropriate Home Therapy Play and Tool Kits (along with their telehealth trauma counseling) to effectively guide creative expression and help develop positive child-caregiver interactions. The kits facilitate the effective implementation of evidence-based clinical models such as Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Filial Therapy, with the therapist virtually guiding the caregiver before and during sessions with the child.
“Children can’t be expected to sit still and conduct talk therapy as an adult would,” says Layman. “Sessions need to be fun and engaging for them. Our services are more vital now than ever and we have to find ways to provide children with services in an effective, innovative way now that we’re working remotely. These kits provide the connection children need so their therapist can help them grow towards healing.”
We'd like to offer a special thank you to the generous individuals and funders who have already supported this effort, including Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, United Way of Palm Beach County, Town of Palm Beach United Way, Ruth Hartman, Kathy Leone, Julie Fisher Cummings, Frisbie Family Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Nancy Richter, Constance Leist, Michael Ainslie, Darla Mullenix, and Pamela Dunston.
The curriculum includes a 78-page printed guide and online training modules based in the latest brain science and knowledge of early childhood development. The training will include background information as well as practical hints and tips for building better, stronger relationships with children.
At Center for Child Counseling, we use Play Therapy, an established modality based in the latest neuroscience, to work with very young children who don’t necessarily have the verbal skills to express their feelings and experiences. Our CEO, Renée Layman, explains it this way: “Play is a child’s language and toys are their words. Play helps children make sense of their world, express their feelings, and heal after traumatic events. Through play, our skilled therapists can help children process loss, grief, and other circumstances that, if left unaddressed, can affect a person’s lifelong mental and physical health.”