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Greetings from the CEO,
How do you know when something is too big for you to handle on your own? You grow up, gain more freedom and responsibility, and as an adult, you're expected to handle pretty much everything that comes your way. If you have children, you may feel that your freedom decreases, but your responsibility certainly doesn't. But sometimes, a crisis occurs that challenges your ability to meet your responsibilities. In the case of Mary, the subject of this month's "Real Story", the crisis took the form of divorce, and the sudden realization that the responsibility for her children was hers alone. Divorce changes everything. Few families come through it unaffected, many children and adults live with the after effects for a lifetime. Take a look at this month's "Family Corner" as well for some suggestions as to how you could help your family cope with divorce.
And remember, don't be afraid to reach out when you need help...as Mary says, "by taking a chance and reaching out, it changed our lives."
Earl "Skip" Stuck |
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 The Family Corner
 Helping Children Cope with Divorce: Know When To Seek Help
Everyone reacts to divorce differently. Some adults handle it, and move on. Others can become paralyzed by anger, frustration, the pain of loss and a hundred other emotions. Likewise, some children go through divorce with relatively few problems, while others have a very difficult time. It's normal for kids to feel the same range of difficult emotions, but time, love, and reassurance should help them to heal.
Click here to continue reading about helping children cope with divorce... |
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Follow Us On facebook 
Family Continuity recently joined the social media super highway by way of facebook. We encourage you to like our facebook page and to recommend it to your friends. Family Continuity can be found at
www.facebook.com/familycontinuity |
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Family Continuity Opens New Offices
Family Continuity Branches Out to Nantucket
& Expands in Worcester
Family Continuity and JRI are proud to announce the opening of the Cape & Islands CSA's first jointly operated office on Nantucket at 19 Old South Road. This office will provide CBHI Services to MassHealth families and children including Intensive Care Coordination and Family Partner Services. For more information, contact Mary Mercier at 508-862-0600.
We are also excited to announce that our Worcester office has moved to an expanded space at 17 Mechanic Street. Currently Home-Based Family Support Services are offered out of this Worcester office. In the near future the new Worcester site will also feature a licensed Mental Health Clinic and Community Support services through our partnership with the New American Center. For more information call the office (508-755-0556) and ask for Laura Bleakney or Craig Maxim. |
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Agency News
Volunteers Needed to help us "support family success in every community"
Family Continuity believes volunteers are vital to the important work we do with individuals and families. Our mission "to support family success in every community" is not easily accomplished and takes every available staff and agency resource we have at our disposal.
By sharing their time, talents, resources and knowledge, volunteers greatly increase our capacity to achieve our mission and thus positively affect the lives of those we serve. Volunteers can serve in a variety of ways throughout the agency and opportunities exist at each one of our hub locations (Beverly/Peabody, Hyannis, Lawrence, Plymouth and Whitinsville/Worcester).
Volunteers interested in working with us do not need to have a human services background but must share in a strong commitment to supporting families. Volunteer opportunities vary by location with all sites looking for volunteers who can commit to working a set number of hours per week or month or who can help complete a specific time limited-job/project.
View available volunteer opportunities throughout the agency.
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Worcester County Family Father's Network Awards Grant to Whitinsville Clinic
 The Whitinsville Clinic received a $2,000.00 grant from the Worcester County Family Father's network to establish support groups for young fathers. The initiative will sponsor three workshops/events per location (Worcester and Whitinsville) targeting "skills in parenting, development of child/father activities, social networking, effective discipline and coping strategies for fathers dealing with the multitude of stressors affecting families in today's economically challenged times." Groups will focus on fathers under 30 years old and includes teen fathers. The hope is that these workshops/events will form focus groups that attempt to identify the needs for future programs and will act as a spring board in the development of ongoing group programs. If you're interested in more information please contact Brendan Bartlett, Program Coordinator, at the Whitinsville Clinic at 508-234-4181 at extension 5051. |
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Real Stories
How would your life change if you were suddenly all alone with your children? How would you cope? Who could you reach out to? These are tough questions that face many parents after a divorce. Mary's solution to seek help worked out for her family.
Mary's Story 
Sometimes life can throw you a curve, and luckily for me and my three children we were introduced to Family Continuity to help with the effects of that curveball.
Three years ago, after 15 years of marriage, I became a single parent. I had to leave my children's father due to his addiction and abusive relationship. I rented an apartment and had to work two jobs because there was no child support.
Six months into our new apartment, I came home to find that we had been broken into by my ex-husband, who destroyed half of our home.
Continue reading Mary's story here... |
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Program Highlights
Urgent Outpatient Service
(Beverly/Peabody Location Only)
At Family Continuity, we meet all kinds of client needs. For most, our clinics provide scheduled counseling, screening, and psychiatric evaluation services. In situations where there is a crisis, we provide support for clients to get to a hospital emergency room or in-patient or psychiatric care. Sometimes, when a client may be in urgent need, but not in need of hospitilization or screening, a referral can be made to our Urgent Outpatient Service by calling our intake coordinator at the number below. A program, operated in our Beverly/Peabody Clinic in partnership with the Mass Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP), Urgent care is designed for a behavioral health need that is not of an emergent nature, but without intervention will likely lead to decompensation of the Member. 
Client will be given an appointment to be seen within one business day of referral.
Appointments can be up to two hours in length.
Client will be moved to the top of the referral list of individual therapy, if not already in individual therapy.
Clinician will make appropriate referrals for client.
Clinician can also, if medically necessary, continue to meet with the client until individual therapy or another appropriate service appointment is secured.
Clients can call the clinic directly at 978-927-9410 to self refer. Referrals also come to the clinic through a variety of sources, including state agencies, ESPS, hospitals and other community services. We can only accept MBHP insurance for this service. For more information about Urgent Outpatient service or other programs of the Beverly/Peabody Clinic, call Becky Krol at 978-522-5022. |
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Forward this issue to a friend or colleague and encourage them to sign up. |
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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