Therapeutic Programs

• Adolescent Sex Offender (ASO)

• ASO Cognitive Low Functioning

• Children's Posttraumatic Stress

• Adolescent's Posttraumatic Stress

• Transition Aftercare 

• Social Skills

• Independent Living Skills

• Oppositional-Defiant Behavior

• Conduct Disorder Group

• ADHD Social Skills

Openings available in most groups Call 301-567-6195 for details.

Social situations come easy for some of us, while others find any way imaginable to avoid situations where they may be confronted with initiating a conversation, reciprocating a greeting, or having to make appropriate decisions in social situations. These difficulties, however, go far beyond feeling uncomfortable in social situations. In fact, several problem areas have been found to be associated with deficits in social skill functioning, including aggressive and antisocial behavior, juvenile delinquency, and learning disabilities and school failure, child abuse and neglect, mental health disorders, and loneliness and despondency (Hendrick, 1988; Howing et al., 1990; Kazdin, 1985; LeCroy, 1983). These areas are further compounded for youth who are struggling with emotional and/or behavioral issues, making it even more challenging for these young people to develop and utilize a socially appropriate repertoire of behaviors.

Children learn early on that there are posit and negative consequences attached to ho, they interact socially with others. A large part of being socially successful depends on one's ability to "read" other people's society cues by accurately perceiving and interpreting verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Lessons such as these are learned and validated at each stage of development and help youth establish the tools necessary to deal successfully with complex social situations as an adolescent and adult.

Family Trauma Service's social skills training focuses on these lessons by offering social situations in which youth are presented with opportunities to practice perceiving social situation accurately, decoding and correctly interpreting information, and responding with appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication. For youth experiencing behavioral and emotional difficulties, skills training of this type may present an alternative path for reaching a successful outcome, as well as a means of avoiding costly negative consequences. For more information about PALS. FTS's social skills training program, please contact Laurie Rosser, LCSW, Deputy Director at (703) 549-4000.

References,

Hendrick, C. (1988). Social Skills: A basic subject. Academic Therapy, 23, 367-373.

Howing, P.T., Wodarski, J.S., Kurtz, P.D. & Gaudin, J.M. (1990). The empirical base for the implementation of social skills training with maltreated children. Social Work, 35, 460-467.

Kazdin, A.E. (1985). Treatment of antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Homewood, IL: The Dorsey Press.

LeCroy, C.W. (1983). Social skills training with adolescents: A review. In LeCroy (ed.), Social skills training for children and youth (pp. 117-137). New York: Haworth Press.

Ten Ways to Help Your Child Make Friends.

The start of school often triggers a myriad of anxieties for youth and for parents. Among the many concerns youth may possess, one Of the most common is, "what if nobody likes me?", or "will I make friends with other kids in my class?". Unfortunately there is no easy answer for parents to give children that will make them instantly popular, or even likeable for that matter. As parents, the best we can do is guide our children in the right direction and teach them the proper skills necessary for making and keeping friends. The following "friend-making" tips are suggestions for parents to emphasize when talking with their children about making friends

Yes, it is scary to take the first step. You may indeed feel like everyone is staring at you, or be afraid that others may laugh at you. Remind your child that if you're not willing to take a chance, you'll never make any new friends.

Find someone who likes the same things you do. 

Most people become friends because they both like the same things. Together make a list of things your child likes to do. Who do you know that also likes the same things? Encourage them to spend time together.

Remind your child that you don't know he's hungry unless he tells you. No one can read minds. Other children may be just as shy or an insecure as your child.

Everybody has something that they do really well. And no one ever gets enough compliments. Teach your child to appreciate other people's strengths.

Some children are natural born worriers. Remind children that if they're talking with you and spending more time with you, chances are they do like you.

Even very young children like to share exciting moments of their day with someone. Encourage your child to listen as much as they talk. Listening to each other talk about the good things and bad is called support. A friend is the best support system to have.

Friendships aren't always 50-50. Someone always needs a little more than the other one and that's okay. Remind your child that when they do a favor for a fiend that they don't need to expect something in return.

Accept the differences between you. 

Tell your child that best friends do not need to be exactly the same. Friends can and should dress differently and like to do different things. Teach your child to celebrate the differences and to not try and change themselves of their friends.

Learn how to apologize and how to forgive. 

When your child hurts a friend's feelings, encourage them to say, "I'm sorry. "When your child's feelings are hurt, try to teach them not to hold a grudge."

Let your child know that good friendships just don't happen, they take work. It's like growing a garden .... if you plant some flowers and just water them once in a while, they may still live, but they don't be very pretty to look at. Take care of your friendship, feed it well, and encourage it to grow.

Violence and Young Children's Development

Author: Wallach, Lorraine B. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.

Violence in the Preschool Years Children growing up with violence are at risk for pathological development. According to Erikson's classical exposition of individual development, learning to trust is the infant's primary task during the first year of life. Trust provides the foundation for further development and forms the basis for self-confidence and self-esteem. The baby's ability to trust is dependent upon the family's ability to provide consistent care and to respond to the infant's need for love and stimulation. 

Caregiving is compromised when the infant's family lives in a community racked by violence and when the family fears for its safety. Parents may not give an infant proper care when their psychological energy is sapped by efforts to keep safe (Halpern, 1990).

Routine tasks like going to work, shopping, and keeping clinic appointments take careful planning and extra effort. 

When infants reach toddlerhood they have an inner push to try newly gained skills, such as walking, jumping, and climbing. These skills are best practiced in parks and playgrounds, not in crowded apartments. But young children who live in communities racked by crime and menaced by gangs are often not permitted to be out-of-doors. Instead, they are confined to small quarters that hamper their activities, and that lead to restrictions imposed by parents and older family members (Scheinfeld, 1983). These restrictions, which are difficult for toddlers to understand and to obey, can lead in turn to disruptions in their relationships with the rest of the family.

During the preschool years, young children are ready to venture outside of the family in order to make new relationships and learn about other people (Spock, 1988). However, when they live in neighborhoods where dangers lurk outside, children may be prevented from going out to play or even from accompanying older children on errands. In addition, preschoolers may be in child care programs that are located in areas where violent acts occur frequently.

Although the early years are critical in setting the stage for future development, the experiences of the school years are also important to children's healthy growth. During the school years, children develop the social and academic skills necessary to function as adults and citizens; violence at home or in the community takes a high toll. 

• When children's energies are drained because they are defending themselves against outside dangers or warding off their own fears, they have difficulty learning in school (Craig, 1992). Children traumatized by violence can have distorted memories, and their cognitive functions can be compromised (Teff, 1983).
• Children who have been victimized by or who have seen others victimized by violence may have trouble learning to get along with others. The anger that is often instilled in such children is likely to be incorporated into their personality structures. Carrying an extra load of anger makes it difficult for them to control their behavior and increases their risk for resorting to violent action.
• Children learn social skills by identifying with adults in their lives. Children cannot learn nonaggressive ways of interacting with others when their only models, including those in the media, use physical force to solve problems (Garbarino et al., 1992).
• To control their fears, children who live with violence may repress feelings. This defensive maneuver takes its toll in their immediate lives and can lead to further pathological development. It can interfere with their ability to relate to others in meaningful ways and to feel empathy. Individuals who cannot empathize with others' feelings are less likely to curb their own aggression, and more likely to become insensitive to brutality in general. Knowing how some youths become emotionally bankrupt in this way helps us understand why they are so careless with their own lives and with the lives of others (Gilligan, 1991).
• Children who are traumatized by violence may have difficulty seeing themselves in future roles that are meaningful. The California school children who were kidnapped and held hostage in their bus were found to have limited views of their future lives and often anticipated disaster (Terr, 1983). Children who cannot see a decent future for themselves have a hard time concentrating on present tasks such as learning in school and becoming socialized.
• Children need to feel that they can direct some part of their existence, but children who live with violence learn that they have little say in what happens to them. Beginning with the restrictions on autonomy when they are toddlers, this sense of helplessness continues as they reach school.
• When children experience a trauma, a common reaction is to regress to an earlier stage when things were easier. This regression can be therapeutic by allowing the child to postpone having to face the feelings aroused by the traumatic event. It is a way of gaining psychological strength. However, when children face continual stress they are in danger of remaining psychologically in an earlier stage of development.

Individual Differences and Resilience

Not all children respond to difficult situations in the same  way; there are many factors that influence coping abilities, including age, family reaction to stress, and temperament. Younger children are more likely to succumb to stress than school-age children or adolescents. Infants can be shielded from outside forces if their caregivers are psychologically strong and available to the baby. 

Children who live in stable, supportive homes have a better chance of coping because they are surrounded by nurturing adults. If grown-ups are willing to listen to children's fears and provide appropriate outlets for them, children are better able to contend with the difficulties in their lives. 

Children are more resilient if they are born with easy temperaments and are in good mental health. If they are lucky enough to have strong parents who can withstand the stresses of poverty and community violence, children also have a better chance of growing into happy and productive adults (Garmezy & Rutter, 1983).

Although what happens to them in the early years is very important, many children can overcome the hurts and fears of earlier times. For children living in an atmosphere of stress and violence, the ability to make relationships and get from others what they miss in their own families and communities is crucial to healthy development.

The staff in schools, day care centers, and recreational programs can be resources to children and offer them alternative perceptions of themselves, as well as teaching them skills for getting along in the world. With time, effort, and skill, caregivers can provide children with an opportunity to challenge the odds and turn their lives in a positive direction. 

Patience

Acknowledgement

Love

Motivation

Support

Trauma comes in many shapes and sizes and does not effect any one individual the same. Although the impact varies with each individual and even with the same individual at different times, there are a number of symptoms that can lead to long-term problems unless treated. Rapid, timely, and sensitive care for the community as well as for affected individuals and is the key to preventing more serious problems in the wake of violence or trauma. The PALMS program is designed to assist individuals and family members who have experienced violence or traumatic situations such as accidents, burglaries, muggings, losses, physical, verbal and visual assaults.

Services Include:

Monthly Presentation: The PALMS program provides a free, one-hour monthly presentation for those who want basic information about the possible long and short-term effects of various types of trauma on people's lives and how to manage it. Individuals, couples and family members are encouraged to come.

Support group: An eight-week "Building Resiliency Program' as well as an ongoing weekly support group is available for those wanting more specific direction and guidance on how to more easily adjust and recover from trauma. The groups are facilitated by a Masters level therapist.

Individual Counseling: Individual counseling is available for those wanting more direct services. 

Couples and Family Sessions: Counseling is available for partners, families and friends. 

Children's Services: Individual, and group sessions are available for children and adolescents as well.

PALS

Participation, Acceptance, Leadership, Spirit Social Skills Program

Social Skills/Support Groups for Youth Ages 6-18 

Some kids have difficulty, may seem for a variety of reasons, getting along with peers, authority figures, and family members. They are bossy, miss important social cues, act shy, deny feelings, have difficulty or maintaining friendships, are picked on by others and have problems with self-confidence and low self-esteem. PALS program is designed to help kids develop different strategies for facing familiar challenges while reinforcing existing positive strengths.

The two hour, eight-week program combines a learning approach with a recreational activity that allows the group leaders to reinforce and practice the skills learned. Groups are kept small (4-8 children per group) to focus on individual needs. A parents group can be offered to integrate skills being learned with family needs. 

Groups will be led by Licensed or Masters level Counselors.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Community Violence

Source: The National Center for PTSD website at:

 http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/ptsd

Community violence can take many forms: riots, sniper attacks, gang wars and drive-by shootings, and workplace assault. On a larger scale, terrorist attacks, torture, bombings, war, ethnic cleansing, and widespread sexual, physical and emotional abuse can affect entire populations.

• Natural disasters can be traumatic, but community violence has several unique features that can have a lingering and traumatic impact. Sometimes in natural disasters people have time to prepare themselves, but community violence usually happens without warning and comes as a sudden and terrifying shock.

• Natural disasters can force people to leave their homes and friends, but community violence can permanently destroy entire neighborhoods and end friendships -- or make the neighborhood or the relationships too unsafe to trust and continue.

• Natural disasters are uncontrollable and unpreventable, but community violence is the product of people's actions. Even though most survivors of community violence are innocent victims, they may feel guilty, responsible, self-blaming, ashamed, powerless, or inadequate because they wish they could have prevented the violence even though it was beyond their control.

• The damage caused by natural disasters is accidental. Community violence involves terrible harm done on purpose, which can lead survivors to feel an extreme sense of betrayal and distrust toward other people. 

Being victimized by violence leads some individuals to react with violence, but there is no evidence as yet that survivors of community violence who have PTSD are more prone to perpetrating community violence than survivors who do not have PTSD. While PTSD does not cause violence, PTSD symptoms can lead survivors of community violence to have difficulty managing violent feelings or impulses. For example, people with PTSD due to witnessing or being directly exposed to community violence may experience:

• Disturbing memories and feelings of reliving the violence.

• Flashbacks or nightmares, in which they unintentionally act violently in order to protect themselves.

• Feeling indifferent to their own or other people's suffering because they feel emotionally numb and cut off from others.

• Increased arousal, startle responses, and hypervigilance (feeling extremely on-guard or in danger).

• Feelings of betrayal and anger from being exposed to violence in what should be their "safe haven."

Most people exposed to community violence, with or without TSD, do not act violently. The stereotype of the violence survivor being out of control and hell-bent on revenge or "payback" is a myth that rarely occurs in real life. Severe day-to-day stressors that are demoralizing, but not life-threatening, appear to play a greater role -- both in causing community violence in general and in leading individuals to act violently -- than PTSD or even traumatic violence itself. Research suggests that violence is somewhat more likely in those communities whose people live in highly stressful circumstances such as the following:

• High unemployment rates

• High rates of illegal drug use

• High rates of school drop-outs

• Chaotic, disorganized, or physically and emotionally abusive families or classrooms

• Periods of extremely hot weather

Perhaps the greatest danger of violence associated with PTSD occurs when community violence spills over onto the family and home, especially in intimate relationships. No studies yet have determined whether there is a link between community violence and domestic violence, but this is a possibility that scientists and clinicians take very seriously, because of a growing awareness that domestic violence is more common and more devastating than previously realized. Survivors of community violence struggle with many vital personal issues:

• How to build trust again (issues of power, empowerment and victimization)

• Seeking meaning in life apart from revenge or hopelessness

• Regaining trust versus being trapped in feelings of guilt, shame, powerlessness, and doubt

• Finding realistic ways to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their homes and community from danger.

• Healing traumatic losses and putting memories of violence to rest without trying to avoid or erase them

• Commitment or recommitment to life (choosing life versus giving up or seeking escape through suicide)

Rapid, timely, and sensitive care for the community as well as for affected individuals and families is the key to preventing PTSD in the wake of violence (and of reducing violence itself). Mental health professionals with expertise in community violence can contribute in several ways: 

• Helping community leaders to join together to develop violence prevention and victim assistance programs.

• Helping religious, educational, and health care leaders and organizations to set up relief centers and shelters.

• Providing direct psychological services near the site of violence. These might include debriefing survivors, supervising a 24-hour crisis hotline, and identifying survivors or bereaved family members who are at high risk for developing PTSD (and helping them to get connected with appropriate continuing treatment, to either prevent or recover from PTSD).

• Providing education, debriefing, and referrals for affected children at their schools, often working with teachers.

• Providing organizational consultation to government, business, and healthcare programs affected by the violence.

This article and others like it can be found on The Alational Center for PTSD website at http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/ptsd The National Center is a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and carries out a broad range of activities in research, training, and public information.

The Family Trauma Services Foster Care Program

Clinical consultation with professionals related to the attainment of the family's stated goals is also available, including schools, special education instructors, parole/probation, and court.