West Palm Beach, Fla. (March 19, 2020) – Amid the Covid-19 crisis, Palm Beach County’s first responders to children in trauma are focused on what they do best: offering immediate help to vulnerable children suffering the impact of abuse and fear. The Center for Child Counseling is responding to the local Coronavirus situation by taking innovative measures to make services available to children and caregivers through virtual support.
Already used to manning the front lines of childhood trauma for the county, thanks to a grant from Quantum Foundation last year, steps have already been taken toward offering telehealth and technology-based services, including training staff therapists on the required platforms that assure patients’ confidential and safe treatment outside of in-person sessions and home visits. We are not only ready to go with new capabilities, our staff are proactively preparing for long-term strategies to help children and families cope and heal when the unspeakable happens.
“Families who need our services are already dealing with compounded life stressors such as poverty, instability, substance, and mental or physical health issues that result in abusive or neglectful behaviors toward children,” stated Renée Layman, Center for Child Counseling’s chief executive officer. “We expect to see incidents rise along with Coronavirus rates and the additional anxiety caregivers are experiencing with job and school closings, a surge in need for basic supplies and food, and the potential threat of homelessness. We simply must protect our children from the fallout of this crisis and also show parents and caregivers the extra support they need to cope with stress and be there for their families.”
Center for Child Counseling implores caregivers to seek help immediately if behavior has already harmed a child or if they find themselves unable to cope or have out-of-control feelings due to stress. Regular updates about service availability and ways to help can be found on Center for Child Counseling’s website and social media pages, including managing your child’s Coronavirus fears.
You can help now. The community is urged to donate to the Emergency Response Fund established to immediately support vulnerable children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions and funding opportunities should be addressed directly to Renée Layman or call 561-244-9499 ext. 1.
Center for Child Counseling
The trusted experts at Center for Child Counseling are on the front line of childhood trauma as first responders to families, schools, and the child welfare system. Services help prevent and heal the impact of toxic stress and abuse on children, promote resiliency, reinforce healthy family, school, and community relationships, and provide trauma-informed training for adult caregivers, teachers, and healthcare professionals.
Of the eight grants awarded this cycle, Quantum Foundation allocated $250,000 to the Center for Child Counseling (CCC) for the organization's work with ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). CCC is considered the leader in ACEs and Trauma Informed Training and is driving the conversation on ACEs in Palm Beach County. The grant will help support staff positions to provide educational workshops, training and consultation for teachers, caregivers and professionals about ACEs, trauma, and integration of effective strategies to promote buffers and lifelong health for babies and young children.
We are pleased to announce that Kerry Jamieson has joined our team as Director of Community and Public Relations! Kerry was born in Durban, South Africa and received an undergraduate degree in English and History from the University of Miami and a postgraduate qualification in screenwriting from UCLA.
We are pleased to anounce that Dr. Jennifer Konsker, pediatrician, has joined the Board of Directors at Center for Child Counseling.
Director and Audit Committee Chairwoman, Madeline Morris, MBA/CPA is a seasoned professional with a 40-year proven track record of assisting clients. Her areas of focus have been in the enhancement of Corporate Governance, designing and implementing effective risk focused reporting, regulatory, compliance and internal control policies and processes. She is a recently retired Managing Director from 
Director, Jennifer Hume Rodriguez has been in the banking industry for over twenty-three years. She grew up in Malvern, PA a suburb of Philadelphia and attended Penn State University where she received a BA in Liberal Arts. Upon graduating college in 1989, Jennifer chose to move to Florida, first to Jacksonville and then to the West Palm Beach area in 1990. She has been a resident of Palm Beach County for twenty-seven years.
The award honored an executive “whose distinguished achievements have resulted in significant progress toward improving a community issue.” They must also be recognized by their peers as a leader in the sector, demonstrating excellence in leadership and management, and inspiring others to achieve meaningful, measurable, and sustainable results. During her acceptance speech, Ms. Layman touched on the increased demand for the services that Center for Child Counseling provides to at-risk children in the Palm Beach County area: “Unfortunately, there’s so much need in our community, so we continue to provide innovative and evidence-based programming to meet the needs . . . we love what we do.” Center for Child Counseling is filling critical gaps in the services for at-risk children in our community. Under her leadership over the past year, Center for Child Counseling has provided direct services for over 3,000 children – and trained over 3,500 professionals in the educational, medical, and childcare sectors.
2018 Cornerstone XXXVI class!
Difference Award." The award is in recognition of Eddie's "dedication to making a difference for Florida's children and families through tireless service to the disadvantaged and under served members of our community."