The Children’s Program at Women in Distress provides a variety of services such as: respite care, parenting, children’s groups and individual counseling. These services are provided at the Jim and Jan Moran Family Center and at the Shelter.
While participants receive services, their children are entertained in a child friendly, safe environment which WID refers to as Respite. This room contains two new flat screen TVs, classical and new DVDs, a toy kitchen, a cabana which supplies painting and craft activities, and a dress up area.
Respite staff provides a schedule of activities for the children. On any given night, children may choose to do an art activity, put on a puppet show, watch a movie, paint, or explore the room and play with others. Our Respite staff engages about 300 children each month in activities that foster social skills.
WID provides counseling to children at the Shelter and at the Family Center. WID offers children’s groups, individual counseling, and parenting classes. Rapport building, anger management, play sessions, and counseling games are just some of the tools WID uses to help children who have experienced domestic violence.
Our staff is constantly improving counseling techniques and sharing information with one another to reach new levels of excellence. In July of 2007 the Children’s counselors were trained by Dr. Linda Hunter in using Sand Tray as a tool to witness children’s play. Dr. Hunter returned in January 2009 to demonstrate sand tray to the children’s caucus. Utilizing miniature characters, the children create a world in the sand. Symbolic portrayals can be explored, feelings are validated, and alternative endings can be depicted. Counselors simply witness as the child explores his world and becomes the creator of a new world. Research has shown this to be an effective technique that can aide in the healing process for children who have experienced trauma.
The Children’s Program at Women In Distress is honored to be helping children who are victims of domestic violence. We will continue to strive for excellence to enhance the lives of children.
For more information, please visit http://www.womenindistress.org/childrens.html