New Year's resolutions

The weeks between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a great time at Hillsides as residents come and go from day trips and family visits. School has not been in session so it is a less structured period when residents and staff in smaller groups can engage in fun, relaxing activities that help to reset the agenda for each child as we plan for the beginning of the new year.

For all of us, this is a time to assess the past year and identify goals for the new year. The key, of course, is to establish reasonable and attainable goals so when we achieve them, a sense of accomplishment develops.

The individual goals for each child and family in our care are specific but they fall within some general categories: staying safe, improving their sense of well-being, and finding their way back home. No matter the individual details, all the goals fall within these three categories.

Staying safe

Although certain measures are in place to assure safety, it has more to do with the frame of mind than the physical setting. Unsafe activities are generated by feelings of desperation that can lead to entertaining risky or unsafe behavior. More than anything else, being sensitive to the traumas that have been experienced and supporting relationships that allow our residents to address those traumas are essential to keeping them safe.

Improving well-being

Related to this, of course, is the provision of quality care that is focused and individualized, oriented to effectively address issues that result in an improvement of behavior, an understanding of the causes, and measurable progress towards improvement. This is easier said than done, but absolutely essential if the child and their family can hope to be restored as a family unit.

Finding their way back home

These elements of safety and well-being are the foundation for establishing a pathway towards stability and permanency so that disruptive patterns can be broken and hope for normalcy established.

These are significant goals that are important to achieve but I am reminded that without the support we receive from so many, we would be hard pressed to accomplish much. As we have in the past, during the holiday season we count on the generosity of the community to help us create a memorable holiday for all we serve. Again this year we were truly blessed by an outpouring of generosity allowing us to fulfill the many “wishes” that had been conveyed to us by all those we serve. Thank you to all who so generously supported us during the holiday season. Such amazing contributions allow us to support the children, youth, and families we serve as they start the new year hopeful that the goals and dreams that they have for 2014 will be realized. 

Stress free Thanksgiving

One of our initiatives this year is to develop an organization with the capacity to better serve those in our care who have experienced trauma. Nearly 90 percent of all children served by the child welfare system have experienced some form of trauma that elevates their "toxic stress." Toxic stress is stress that increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, drug and alcohol dependency, suicide, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and depression. Although it is just an indicator of risk and not a cause of illness, it is worth noting the relationship that stress and trauma has as a deterrent to well-being.

With this prevalence of stress among those in our care, it is imperative that our treatment interventions and the environment in which we operate are sensitive to this issue to support our clients’ well-being and avoid anything that would further traumatize those who are already so vulnerable. These efforts are very comprehensive and are intended to influence all aspects of our operations, the treatment environment, our interactions with clients, and the manner in which we conduct business.

These efforts reminded me of an interview recently of a mother and son who are served at Hillsides. This adolescent arrived anxious and impulsive, demonstrating significant disruptive behavior that negatively impacted him and his family. His mother was challenged to provide him the support they needed to avoid an escalation of behaviors that were harmful. She was referred to us through their local school system. As we initiated care, we were able to identify the trauma he had experienced and help him and his mother reduce the stress that was so detrimental to their well-being. Months later she says that the services they have received at Hillsides helped her, “to get her life back….to get her son back.”

The process of restoring hope and a sense of well-being can be challenging, but the end result makes the effort very worthwhile. As this family prepares for Thanksgiving they do so freed from some of the burdens that had previously impeded their ability to sit at the same table and enjoy a holiday together. This year there will be something very special for which they will be very thankful--their family restored.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, let us be ever sensitive to the hurts and traumas that others have experienced and in a very intentional way create an environment where everyone feels safe, welcomed, and supported. In doing so, we lay the foundation to address the stressors that impact us and initiate the process of moving beyond the trauma to hope.