The Family Corner- Are You Listening?
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In your family, how do you describe "communication"? Is there
enough of it? Do people talk "at" rather than "to" each other? Actually,
communications starts not with talking, but with listening. How often do you
and your child really listen to each other?
You would think these would be easy questions, with obvious
answers, but families can form bad habits, just like individuals. This can
become especially apparent as children grow up into teens and young adults,
when talking "at" each other can end communication altogether. Here are some
hints about how to LISTEN better:
1. The first step is to limit your words. Anything you say
should be limited to simple one or two words.
2. Be comfortable with silence.
Silence can make many of us uncomfortable, but if we can learn to be
comfortable with this step, we can gain some new and helpful information.
3. Listen non-judgmentally. Try
to open yourself up to feel as your child does without showing any anger or
frustration.
4. Make short statements of empathy and
understanding. This will show that you are genuinely concerned and care about
what your child is saying.
5. Be aware of your nonverbal cues. We
are all more aware of body language than we might think. Be aware of negative
messages that you may be sending without meaning to.
6. Resist external distractions. We
are all very busy, but when you are listening, make a concerted effort to
resist anything that may be a distraction.
By following these simple steps, you will surely be on the right
track to better communication.
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Program Highlight- Supervised Visitation
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In the real world, families can break up for a
variety of reasons; divorce, serious mental illness or medical condition, or
situations where domestic violence or abuse and neglect are concerns. If
"breaking up is hard to do", coming together and reunifying a family can be
even more challenging. If the original problems that cause the break-up haven't
been addressed, then reunification often only starts an unhappy cycle over
again. A highly effective way of assessing a family's progress and even
teaching new skills and ways of relating can be through Supervised Visitation.
Family Continuity first provided Supervised
Visitation services twenty years ago after DSS
(now DCF) identified a need for this type of service beyond what the DCF worker
could provide. More recently, supervised visitation services have expanded
rapidly, especially on Cape Cod and the
Islands in collaboration with the DCF Area Office. While once the primary
purpose of the supervised visits was to observe the interactions between the
child and parent and report to the DCF worker and/or the court, the new
services go much further. They provide therapeutic support and mentoring with interventions
that enhance the parent's skill level to better parent their children as they
work toward reunification. Additionally, now multiple siblings from one family
placed in different foster homes or step-siblings placed with other relatives are included as part of the
reunification and relationship-building processes, not as separate
entities. Grandparents and other
relatives are also considered to be an integral part of the reunification
process and often very involved in the visits. Family Continuity has several
rooms set up as kitchens and living rooms, as well as traditional meeting rooms,
that allow families to eat together, learn cooking skills and interact in a
safe and more homelike environment.
Since the inception of the program on Cape Cod
two years ago, it has tripled in size, hosting hundreds of families' visits
each year. This year, we hope to expand these programs to our other sites as
resources and funding allow.
If you want to learn more about Supervised
Visitation and other services offered at our Hyannis Office, call the intake
coordinator, Rebecca Alves at 508-815-5107 or the Family Continuity
Information line at 866-219-3320.
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SAIL Gets a New Floor
|  Family Continuity's SAIL Program is grateful to Jerry McGinn of Tile by Design on Andover Street in Danvers for donating $1,852.73 worth of new tile flooring for the kitchen floor. As you can see from these before and after photos, the floor was in dire shape and now our clients are proud of their living space.
We appreciate this generous donation and hope that you will consider making your next flooring purchase at Tile by Design in Danvers.
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Holiday Donations Needed
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Family Continuity is hoping that our community will help our residential clients this upcoming Holiday season. We are in need of gifts for our teen/young adult and older adult residential programs and donations for a holiday party at the residential programs as well. Most of our clients do not have family around and the staff try hard to make the holidays bright for our clients.
Gift cards are urgently needed to
ensure we are able to fulfill our goal this year. We are looking for
gift cards to stores like: Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Wal-Mart,
Kohl's, Barnes and Noble, Borders, GameSmart, Bob's Stores, Simon
Malls, Newbury Comics, etc.
Gift cards to Market Basket, Shaw's or Stop and Shop are also needed to purchase a holiday dinner for each of our residential homes.
We are always in need of new twin size bedding, pillows and towels.
We
have a total of 55 clients that we are looking to supply gifts to this
holiday season. Please help us make the holiday a bit brighter for our
clients!
For additional information please contact:
Robin
Risso, LMFT, Regional Director
Family
Continuity Programs, Inc.
9
Centennial Dr. Ste 202
Peabody,
MA 01960
978-620-2501
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Real Stories |
The fact is that most
people with mental health issues get better, and live normal lives, with help
and support. But as they say, one step at a time... Following is a letter
received at Family Continuity's Plymouth Mental Health Clinic.
Letter From A Client
7/25/10
I'm so much happier now, though it hasn't always been that
way. It was a long slow road to turn my
life around. Yet a road I'm very glad I traveled.
When I came out of the state hospital I was still very
angry, angry at the world and everyone in it. I was placed in a residential program and got a new therapist. The residential was a bad placement but the
therapist was the best one I've ever had. She always believed in me. I can tell you that makes a big difference 'cause
it's really hard to believe in yourself when no one else does. Read the Rest of the Letter.
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Family Continuity's Mission Statement:
Supporting family success in every community by empowering people, enhancing their strengths, and creating solutions through partnerships to achieve hope, positive change and meaningful lives.
Agency Values: Family, Community, Advocacy, Leadership, and Change Treatment Philosophy, founded on the belief that positive change is always possible:
* The most effective treatment provides a continuity of care, acknowledging that connected, relevant supportive services to clients/client families promote recovery, stability, self advocacy and permanency in the midst of changing needs.
* Therapeutic change occurs in the context of a dynamic treatment partnership between clients and helpers that is founded on choice, respect, honesty, and a shared responsibility for and participation in the development of solutions.
* Effective treatment is empowering and strength-based, recognizing that all clients possess resources for change and that change is possible when these resources are utilized.
* Creating meaningful lives starts with identifying goals and connecting that to individualized, flexible and creative treatment planning that incorporates a client's family/community relationships, culture, and context. |
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