CfCC Welcomes a New Board Member!

Dr. Jennifer Konsker, Pediatrician Joins Board of Directors

Jennifer Elena Konsker, MD FAAP

We are pleased to anounce that Dr. Jennifer Konsker, pediatrician, has joined the Board of Directors at Center for Child Counseling.

Dr. Konsker has lived in Palm Beach County with her husband, Randy, and two sons, now teenagers, since 2001. They are active in the community, participating in various organizations and events; generally related to helping meet the needs of people and animals. 

Dr. Konsker has been practicing General Pediatrics for Pediatric Associates in South Florida for more than sixteen years, since completing her residency at Mount Sinai in NYC.  She is a graduate of Columbia University's School of Engineering and worked as an Industrial Engineer for a healthcare consulting firm before switching career paths to follow her calling - to help and heal with the hopes of making a difference in our world. 

Dr. Konsker's medical training (medical school and residency) focused extensively on mental health, where she realized the importance of the mind, body, and spirit connection. Since then, she has focused on all three elements when treating her patients and families.

Dr. Konsker is a founder and active member of Pediatric Associates’ Brain Health Committee and has instituted an on-site/in-office mental health guidance program within several offices to help meet the mental health needs of the children and families in the practice.  She is a participant of Samaritan’s 365, an organization which teaches school-aged children about kindness and compassion through community service projects that give back and help those in need in our community. She is also a part of the CoCo Coalition, which reaches out to trauma-exposed youth with trauma-informed based yoga and meditation programs. Jennifer continuously practices and studies yoga, meditation and mindfulness, incorporating it into her life and work.

When it comes to mental health and our youth, Dr. Konsker realizes that so much more needs to be done and that intervention needs to happen earlier in life. Helping and healing patients and their families, as well as her volunteer experiences has made it obvious that mental health help, healing and education must begin prenatally and continue in infancy and early childhood. 

Jennifer believes it is time that the gap between practicing physicians and the mental health community is filled. It is time for physicians to be more aware of early childhood mental health issues, and to have resources to make a difference.

Dr. Konsker hopes that by joining the Center of Child Counseling's Board of Directors, she can help fill that gap through reaching out to and educating other physicians as well as personally contributing to the Center and its programs as a Board member.

New Board Members Elected!

We are pleased to announce the election of Madeline Morris, CPA and Jennifer Hume Rodriguez to the Center for Center for Child Counseling's Board of Directors.

Madeline MorrisDirector 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 Deloitte LLP.

Madeline's depth and breadth of knowledge is demonstrated through her outstanding commercial success and leadership. She served as a Managing Director at Deloitte until her retirement in 2016. She led many of the largest and most complex Global Financial Institutions programs, assisting clients in the enhancement of their Corporate Governance, designing and implementing effective risk focused reporting from operations through to the Board of Directors. As one of the firms’ leaders in Regulatory Readiness services, Madeline assessed and implemented Sarbanes-Oxley, JSOX, Capital Planning and Analysis, Bank Holding Company Transformation for many fortune 500 companies. In addition, she has effectively led Merger Integration and Divestiture activities all grounded in the disciplines of Internal Controls. Madeline’s primary clients have been Boards of Directors, Audit and Risk Committees, and Senior Management.

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.

Jennifer's banking career began in 1994 with a small community bank and she enrolled in graduate school in 1995 going part-time in the evening for an MBA at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Jennifer graduated with a Master's in Business Administration in Dec of 1998. Over the past twenty-three years, Jennifer has worked for both large and small banks – First Bank of Florida, Bank of America, Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust, First Southern Bank, RBC Bank, PNC and currently Florida Community Bank where she is Vice President, Branch Manager of the West Palm Beach office.

Jennifer is active in the Chamber of the Palm Beaches, a board member for Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, member of the Business Advisory Council for Palm Beach State College Lake Worth Campus and a member of the fundraising committee for ChildNet Palm Beach County. She is also an active member of the Realtors Association.  

Learn more about our Board of Directors here.

Our CEO is Nonprofit Executive of the Year!

Renée Layman Named “Executive of the Year” at the First Annual Hats Off Nonprofits Awards presented by Nonprofits First

West Palm Beach, FL (October 3, 2017) Center for Child Counseling’s CEO, Renée Layman has been named Executive of the Year by Nonprofits First at their first annual Nonprofits First “Hats Off” awards event, held at the Harriet Himmel Theater at City Place in Downtown West Palm Beach.  A total of twenty-eight CEOs and Executive Directors were nominated from around Palm Beach County in this category.

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.

Renée Layman has held a variety of leadership roles in her twenty-five year career in mental health in South Florida. She is a part of Leadership Florida’s Cornerstone class of XXXVI, is the co-chair of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health - Palm Beach and Martin County chapter, graduated from Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2010 and was the co-chair for the Leadership Palm Beach County Engage program from 2014-2016. Renée is involved with a number of advisory committees in the Palm Beach County area and is on the board of the Nonprofit Chamber of Palm Beach County.

Jessica Cecere, CEO of Nonprofits First and fellow Leadership Grad, was pleased with the committee’s decision to select Renée as the first recipient of this award stating, “I am very pleased and proud to have Renée Layman as Nonprofits First inaugural Hats-Off Nonprofit Award Honoree for Nonprofit Executive of the Year. Renée is an exemplary leader and nonprofit professional.”

CfCC CEO Selected for Leadership Florida

We're thrilled to announce on the heels of Leadership Florida's press release, that Center for Child Counseling's CEO Renée Layman has been selected for Leadership Florida's 2017-2018 Cornerstone XXXVI class!

Renée will participate in an 8-month long experience in counties across Florida. As a new class member, she will "participate in Leadership Florida’s renowned master sessions, which provide a comprehensive look at critical Florida issues, refining well-developed leadership skills via sessions with leadership experts, and relevant information on Florida’s history, demography, diversities, challenges and opportunities."

Leadership Florida states that "The purpose of these programs is to educate, inspire, and engage Florida leaders who will work together, across their diversities, for the betterment of Florida." A natural fit for the class, as "members of Leadership Florida serve on more than 5,000 corporate and non-profit boards throughout the state, providing key leadership in their local communities and in the state."

Renée is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County, Class of 2010, serving as co-chair of the Engage Program until 2016. She continues to volunteer with the organization, most recently at the Class of 2018's retreat. Renée states, "I am looking forward to the upcoming year with a group of outstanding leaders and exploring topics that are important to Florida, from diverse viewpoints." 

Center for Child Counseling is excited to see how the experience with Leadership Florida will engage other leaders in mental health and  our fight against Adverse Childhood Experiences in Palm Beach County. 

To find out more about Leadership Florida and view the newest members of the Cornerstone, Connect and Education classes visit: www.leadershipflorida.org.

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About Leadership Florida For thirty-six years, Leadership Florida has developed a reputation as a builder of a stronger, diverse statewide sense of community. A respected non-partisan convener of committed individuals, Leadership Florida enhances the knowledge and leadership abilities of Florida’s leaders through educational programs and by encouraging collaborative work for the betterment of our state. Leadership Florida provides Floridians essential information and a meaningful forum for their opinions, and creates opportunities for shared experiences that are inviting, inspiring and of lasting value. Leadership Florida is a federally registered trademark.

Eddie Stephens: Unsung Hero

Making a Difference In Palm Beach County

Eddie Stephens, Board Member at Center for Child Counseling, is the recipient of the 2017 "Alberto Romero Jr. Making a 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."

Eddie also received the The Florida Bar Family Law Section "Unsung Hero Award" - In recognition of Eddie's willingness to provide his candor and expertise selflessly whenever needed. He also received their "Above and Beyond Award" - For exceeding all expectations with his tireless and hard work during service to the Family Law Section.

Thank you Eddie for your commitment to making a difference in our community. You are truly a hero in our eyes! Eddie is a partner at Ward Damon and a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.

Pictured: Eddie with Laura Davis Smith, Chair of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar.

CfCC In the News

Center for Child Counseling: A safe haven for vulnerable families

What does Center for Child Counseling do and how does it benefit the community?

The well-being of babies and young children, along with their caregivers, have been the focus of Center for Child Counseling’s mission since being founded in 1999. By improving access to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health services, they aim to improve the lives of the children and the adult caregivers they serve. They do this through an array of prevention, early intervention and mental health treatment programs for children, families and caregivers impacted by trauma, violence, abuse and general mental health concerns through quality counseling at local childcare centers in high-risk neighborhoods, shelters for victims of domestic abuse, homeless shelters, schools, homes, the Palm Healthcare Pavilion in West Palm Beach, and their Child and Family Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

Click here to read more from this article in the Palm Beach Post.

Eddie Stephens Elected as New Board Member

Press Release: Center for Child Counseling Elects New Board Member

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (June 6, 2017) – The Center for Child Counseling is pleased to announce the election of Eddie Stephens, Equity Partner at Ward Damon, to the Center for Child Counseling’s Board of Directors. Mr. Stephens is a board-certified attorney in Family and Marital Law and a trained Collaborative Law attorney.  He earned his J.D. at Stetson University College of Law.

Mr. Stephens has developed a successful family law practice focused on highly disputed divorces.  He is a popular and engaging motivational speaker, most recently presenting to over one hundred community leaders at Center for Child Counseling’s Lead the Fight event. His personal motto is “Do Something that Matters,” and in that spirit, he brings a passion for inspiring others along with his own personal childhood experiences overcoming adversity to his work at the organization. 

Mr. Stephens believes in giving back and is involved with several charitable endeavors. He has been a leader in the Boy Scouts of America for over ten years, and most recently graduated from Leadership Palm Beach County’s Engage program, where he served on the Board of Governors. 

“Leaders like Eddie bring a wealth of expertise to Center for Child Counseling. His vision for helping children facing adversity in Palm Beach County is inspiring,” states Renée Layman, Chief Executive Officer. “He is passionate about wanting to make a difference for children in our community, using his personal journey to highlight the impact of early adversity. We are grateful that he has joined us.”

About the Center for Child Counseling

The Center for Child Counseling is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to serve young, vulnerable children in Palm Beach County. The organization is building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families.

Over the past eighteen years, the Center for Child Counseling has been recognized for its excellence in programming, including being the recipient of the Blue Foundation's Sapphire Award for innovation in community health and the National Easter Seals Award of Excellence. The organization is a Town of Palm Beach United Way partner and Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County Healthy Beginnings agency. For questions about the Center for Child Counseling, please contact Sarah Lidinsky Turner, Director of Community Relations at 561-244-9499 ext. 7. 

Leaders Tackle Economic Impact of Childhood Abuse and Adversity Over Breakfast

Tammy Fields, PBC Youth Services Division; Carrie Brown; Healthier Jupiter; Dr. Seth Bernstein, United Way of Palm Beach County; and Renee Constantino, Community Foundation.

West Palm Beach, FL (April 26, 2017) – The Center for Child Counseling, in partnership with a team from the 2017 class of Leadership Palm Beach County, hosted over 100 business and community leaders from around Palm Beach County on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The event was the first of its kind in Palm Beach County to discuss the economic impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the private sector. Attendees included Thomas Bean, FPL; Mayor Maria Marino, Palm Beach Gardens; Shanon Materio, West Palm Beach Commissioner; Erica Whitfield, Palm Beach County School Board; plus, representatives from Gunster, St. Mary’s, United Way, and more.

The Economic Impact of Childhood Adversity and Trauma in Palm Beach County was presented by Renée Layman, CEO of Center for Child Counseling; Dr. Lisa Williams-Taylor, CEO of Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County; Eddie Stephens, Equity Partner at Ward Damon; and Randy Scheid, VP of Programs at Quantum Foundation. The event opened with Williams-Taylor, bringing insights to the cost of trauma on businesses, stating “The bottom line – ACEs affect business profitability and national productivity.” She cited staggering findings such as “the CDC estimated that depression, a long-term impact of ACEs, causes 200 million lost workdays each year.” Scheid commented on the shift in funding at the Quantum Foundation stating, “What we now know about how ACEs affect the long-term health of the community has caused us to focus on more preventative programming like that which Center for Child Counseling provides.” The event closed with Stephens, sharing his compelling personal story of overcoming personal tragedy and being an ACE survivor,  and then called on the business community to get involved in supporting prevention and early intervention mental health services – things he said he did not receive when he most needed them as a child.

Eddie Stephens, Attorney at Ward Damon at Center for Child Counseling Board member, Speaks at ‘Lead the Fight.’

Renée Layman, CEO of the Center for Child Counseling noted, “The opioid epidemic we are facing in our county is impacting an entire generation of children. We cannot sit back and wait for them to start showing signs of distress. The science shows we must reach out to them early so they can avoid repeating the cycle of addition and adversity.” Attendees were encouraged to take trauma-informed practices back to their workplaces, invest in early intervention programs, and challenged to take the next step as a leader in the community.

Hosted at Manatee Lagoon, an FPL Eco- Discovery Center, the event was part of the Fighting ACEs initiative funded by Quantum Foundation. Sponsors included Children’s Services Council, Birth to 22, Ward Damon, Future Shapers Florida, Forming Brands, Florida Community Bank, Sharmin & Sharmin Attorneys at Law, Larry M. Shrier, MA, Palm Beach Gardens, and Gordon & Doner.

About the Center for Child Counseling

The Center for Child Counseling is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to serve young, vulnerable children and provides the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County. Over the past 18 years, the Center for Child Counseling has been recognized for its excellence in programming, including the Blue Foundation’s Sapphire Award for innovation in community health and the National Easter Seals Award of Excellence. Click here to learn more about ACEs and what is being done in Palm Beach County to address this issue.

Leaders #FightingACEs in Palm Beach County

Superintendent, Judges, PBSO, Doctors, and Community Leaders Gather to Tackle Childhood Toxic Stress in Palm Beach County.

“If I had to boil it down for one thing for people to learn from this science, its to totally put to bed forever this sense that children who are born under disadvantaged circumstances are doomed to poor life outcomes. The science is saying that’s just not true.” – Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Pediatrician, Director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

West Palm Beach, FL, On September 29, 2017 from 5:30 to 7:30 the Center for Child Counseling is presenting a free community screening of the Documentary Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope, directed by James Redford, which chronicles the birth of a new movement among pediatricians, therapists, educators, and communities who are using cutting-edge brain science to disrupt cycles of violence, addiction and disease. The screening and discussion will take place at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Meyer Hall located at 501 S Sapodilla Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Dr. Robert Avossa
Dr. Robert Avossa

After the movie, there will be a panel discussion moderated by the Honorable Ron Alvarez, now retired, and featuring Palm Beach County leaders: Dr. Robert Avossa, Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent; Tammy Fields, Director of Palm Beach County Youth Services; Dr. Fox-Levine, Palm Beach Pediatric Society; Chief Deputy Michael Gauger, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office; The Honorable Kathleen J Kroll, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge: Juvenile Division; and Lisa Williams-Taylor, PhD, CEO of Children’s Services Council

A small networking reception will take place after the doors open at 5pm, including a tasty offering from The Lord’s Place’s Joshua Catering Company. Sponsors for the event include the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department, and the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health Palm Beach Chapter.

Join in the conversation. Register today!

 

About Center for Child Counseling

The Center for Child Counseling is building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County through mental health services and education aimed at prevention, early intervention, and healing treatment. For over seventeen years, the Center for Child Counseling has been serving children and families experiencing trauma and toxic stress. Learn more about the #FightingACEs Initiative, funded by the Quantum Foundation.

Specializing in babies and young children, the organization has developed expertise, grounded in neuroscience, for tackling mental health issues early – even before diagnosis – putting children and families on the track to healing and success. To learn more, please visit www.centerforchildcounseling.org.

About the Movie Resilience

Resilience is a one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent TOXIC STRESS. Now understood to be one of the leading causes of everything from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression, extremely stressful experiences in childhood can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior. However, as experts and practitioners profiled in Resilience are proving, what’s predictable is preventable. These physicians, educators, social workers and communities are daring to talk about the effects of divorce, abuse and neglect. And they’re using cutting edge science to help the next generation break the cycles of adversity and disease.

Center for Child Counseling Reaches GuideStar Platinum

Allows Donors to Focus on Progress and Result

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL – Center for Child Counseling has earned the Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. By sharing metrics that highlight changes Center for Child Counseling is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation like overhead ratios.

GuideStar_Platinum_seal-LG"In accordance with our belief in excellence and transparency in all aspects of our work,” said Renée Layman, CEO “we are excited to convey Center for Child Counseling's results in a user-friendly and highly visual manner. By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to the Platinum level, we can now easily share a wealth of up-to-date metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar's immense online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers, and the media."

To reach the Platinum level, Center for Child Counseling added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar: basic contact and organizational information; in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission. By taking the time to provide this information, Center for Child Counseling has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate the organization.

"I encourage you to visit our profile on GuideStar to see what we're all about," added Renée Layman. “We’re thrilled that our GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile and its associated benefits help us better communicate our organization’s exciting initiatives at a global scale."

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