Our programs:
1.
POST-ADOPTION RESOURCE CENTER
Clark County has lacked a comprehensive
resource center for adopted children and their families.
Significant support from formal systems exists for people during the
process of adoption. Typically,
after the adoption has been finalized, the support abruptly ends.
This reality negatively impacts not only adoptive families, but the
entire community as these children and their families sometimes struggle to
adjust. Especially impacted are
those amazing families who adopt children with special needs such as physical,
and/or mental and emotional disabilities ranging from mild to severe in nature.
Research has shown that without ongoing post-adoption support services,
especially for children with special needs, the risk of the adoption disrupting
increases exponentially.
The
PARC provides information and referral services, linkage to local resources
(counseling services, developmental therapies, information on school advocacy,
etc.), parent training curriculum, lending library, and a parent support group.
The parent training curriculum includes Alcohol-Related Disorders, Drug
Exposures and Other Neurological Compromises (“Parenting Your Porcupine” series)
presented in an 8 week parent training and support group format.
The lending library includes materials for adults and children on topics
related to adoption, relative placement, parenting, child development, and
special needs. The parent support group called PLAYTIME at the PARC meets the
first Thursday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For those parents who
are also foster parents, training credit of 1 ˝ hours can be provided for most
meetings. Funding for PARC
comes from the Gibney Family
Foundation, Vancouver Rotary Foundation, 40 ET 8, Windermere Foundation, The
Friend’s of Children’s Center and big-hearted community donors
2. CHILD
SEXUAL ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM: Specialized treatment to child victims of sexual
abuse and non-offending family members. This program includes school and
community-based services to ensure access and availability to families.
Additional funding provides for Spanish and Russian speaking therapists.
3. MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES: A county contract for assessment, case management, individual,
group and family treatment, and psychiatric services to children and youth who
meet the State’s criteria of acutely and severely emotionally disturbed.
These include among the most difficult and challenging children and youth within
the community.
4.
SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM: Mental health services on-site of selected
schools in the Evergreen (Mt. View Hs, Covington
MS, Millplain, Harmony, Image, Orchards,
Marrion, & Fircrest Elementary) and Vancouver (Hudson’s
Bay HS, Jason Lee MS, McLoughlin MS, MLK, Hazel Dell, Peter Ogden, Sifton,
Sunset, Discovery, & Hough Elementary) School Districts.
Also provide services at Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington, Intensive
intervention is provided for children and youth identified as having behavioral
or emotional problems that impact their ability to function successfully in
school and in the community.
5.
COACHES PROGRAM: Funded by Legacy Health System, this program allows us
to expand services to
methamphetamine exposed preschoolers, the most vulnerable population that we
serve. This program provides specialized training to mental health
therapists, parents, guardians, foster parents, school personnel and day care
providers. Children with meth exposure have a different clinical presentation
than typically seen at a children’s mental health agency. The severity of
neuropsychiatric symptoms and severe communication impairments is alarming.
Common features include severe and unprovoked aggression (rage-panic episodes
lasting up to several hours), serious sleep abnormalities (sleeping only a few
hours a night), and even the occurrence of some psychotic symptoms that are
otherwise very rare in young children. An increasing number of preschoolers have
full-blown psychotic episodes requiring psychotropic medications, intensive
mental health counseling and case management. The Children’s Center is
experiencing a dramatic increase in referrals from primary care physicians who
note higher aggression levels, early mood dysregulation, severe sleep
abnormalities and psychosis in 0-6 year old children who have been meth exposed.
These children clearly lack readiness for
school. Many are being raised by grandparents as the parents are incarcerated or
whereabouts are unknown. Many are in foster care; their behavior result in
frequent moves among foster care homes as they cannot cooperate with typical
parenting or rules. A rising number are expelled from daycare, preschool and
kindergarten programs. This program also
provides psychiatric services at no cost to the family for those children
requiring medical intervention.
6.
THE
ART OF RECOVERY PROGRAM:
“This group is just what I
needed to find new ways to cope. My
oldest son is 5 years old and has a lot of emotional scars due to the domestic
violence. Thanks to this project,
I’m a better, stronger mom. I’m
better equipped to parent my children positively and without violence of any
sort.” A
Mother living in a domestic violence shelter with her
children.
The “Art of Recovery” project helps children
and their parents overcome the traumatic experiences of domestic violence and
abuse. Children participate in art
therapy activities that focus on recovery, personal safety, and empowerment.
A Parent Support
group, offered in tangent with the children’s group, helps the parent gain
skills to move on from the domestic violence and to create meaningful lives for
themselves and their children.
Outcomes are measured one child at a time and success is a matter of both
recovery from trauma and a return to normal developmental levels.
This project is possible thanks to the generosity of the
Children’s Trust Fund of the Community Foundation of SW Washington.
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BALANCE:
Physical fitness and nutritional training for families of children receiving
treatment with drugs which may predispose them to obesity. Funded by the
Gibney Family Foundation.
Goals of the program:
1.
Increase physical activity for target population.
2.
Educate parents about Body Mass Index (BMI).
3.
Improve health literacy of parents and create healthy eating habits for
families.
4.
Support families in making healthier life choices.
Various activities, classes, tools and incentives which will
involve a variety of professionals such as: personal trainers, nutritionists,
certified yoga instructors, etc. will be utilized to achieve these goals.
