|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings from the CEO,
How many stressed out people do you know?
For a lot of people, the pursuit of a healthy balance of work and personal life seems like an impossible goal. With so many of us torn between juggling heavy workloads, managing relationships and family responsibilities, and squeezing in outside interests, it's no surprise that more than one in four Americans describes themselves as "super stressed." And that's not balanced-or healthy. In our rush to "get it all done" at the office and at home, it's easy to forget that as our stress levels spike, our productivity plummets. Stress can zap our concentration, make us irritable or depressed, and harm our personal and professional relationships. It's all about balance!
See this month's "Family Corner" for some helpful ways to regain your balance and enjoy yourself, your family and your life a little more.
Earl "Skip" Stuck |
|
|
 The Family Corner
It's All About Balance
Here are a few practical steps for work and home that can loosen the grip that stress has on us. Let these tips help you win back the balance in your life. Read on and reap the benefits
* Tips, thanks to Mental Health America
|
|
Please help us grow our mailing list.
Forward this issue to a friend or colleague and encourage them to sign up.
Click the box above. |
|
Real Stories
Just as nothing is more painful to a parent than the struggles of her child...nothing is more gratifying than regaining a child who once was lost as this letter from Kevin's mother shows...
Kevin's Story
I would like to tell you the story of my son Kevin. I have been a single mother his whole life. Our journey through the system began when my son was in elementary school and was a very active, perhaps overly energetic child. I brought him to a therapist and he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As he got older, he became more frustrated with authority and began to be disrespectful towards teachers and myself. His therapist and psychiatrist began to talk to me about the possibility that he may have a mood disorder in addition to his ADHD. He continued therapy and tried medications to address these challenges, but as he entered a charter middle school, he began to act more aggressively than in the past. Soon, we made our first trip to the emergency room for a psychiatric screening Things went from difficult to worse. Over the course of a year, Kevin went through an endless series of treatment programs and supports (day treatment, hospitals, acute residential treatment, family stabilization, CHINS, educational advocacy to obtain an Individual Education Plan).
Read More... |
|
Program Highlight
The New American Partnership
In the news, it is hard to miss stories about "illegal" immigration and "undocumented aliens." What most people don't know is that in America today, we are also experiencing levels of legal immigration higher than at any time since the 1920's and 30's. Massachusetts in particular has become a major point of entry for immigrants and refugees from around the world. Like immigrants throughout our history, these people come to America to work hard, fit in, and improve the lives of their families. They also, at times, may need a helping hand.
In 2007, Family Continuity was asked by the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership to embark upon a pilot program to expand community support (CSP) services to the growing cultural communities in the Greater Lynn area. Soon, wo rking with a collaboration of several distinct cultural groups, under the umbrella of a coalition of seven organizations collectively known as the New American Center (NAC), our staff were providing supervision, billing and case support to young NAC staff who provide service to nearly 50 cultural and linguistic groups. This program grew rapidly in the Lynn area, and last spring, Family Continuity was asked to expand the partnership to include Chelsea and the northern Boston suburbs. In addition, just this month, recognizing the dramatic growth in immigrant communities statewide, we and NAC will begin offering, CSP services in Worcester.
Working with the NAC partnership has been a wonderful, and highly successful opportunity to provide needed services to people with whom we otherwise would not work. Our work with the NAC is fully consistent with our values, desire to work as partners and good neighbors, and our mission... "Supporting family success in every community."
If you would like to learn more about the Family Continuity/New American Center collaboration, contact Jim McDonald at jmcdonald@familycontinuity.org or 978-620-2536.
To learn more about Family Continuity's work follow this link to our website. |
|
Staff Recognition Awards
On Friday, June 24th, the staff of Family Continuity joined together for a day of fun and an opportunity to reconnect with coworkers. As we do every year, at this Staff Day event, we took time to recognize staff members for their years of service. This year we celebrated staff who were celebrating five and ten year anniversaries with Family Continuity. We are honored to have such dedicated employees.
10 Years of Service
Audrey Dana, Hyannis Mental Health Clinics
 | |
Our Employees Make Family Continuity Great! |
Kathy McHugh, Hyannis Wrap and Flexible Supports
5 Years of Service
Carolee Abbott, Hyannis Home Based Team
Becky Alves, Hyannis Home Based Team
Brendan Bartlett, Whitinsville Home Based Team
Ann Beckert, Hyannis Wrap and Flexible Supports
Therese Cahill, Hyannis Mental Health Clinic
Kristen Carbone-Berner, Hyannis Wrap and Flexible Supports
Donna Chrul, Whitinsville Home Based Team
Amy Heindl, Whitinsville Home Based Team
Rebecca Matthews, Caris House
Lisa Provost, Plymouth Counseling Services
Sarai Rivera, Whitinsville/Worcester Clinic
Mary Lou Shewchuk, Plymouth Counseling Services
Frank Soracco, Administration
Skip Stuck, Administration
Sarah Weston, Beverly Home Based Team |
 |
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
