Hopeful Message Delivered to Pediatric Professionals at Lead the Fight Event

December 9, 2024
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
cara@yourmissionmarketing.com

Hopeful Message Delivered to Pediatric Professionals at Lead the Fight Event
Part III of the 2024 Lead the Fight series emphasized how to promote healthy outcomes from positive experiences for children–giving hope to vulnerable families for a brighter future. 

Center for Child Counseling continued its 2024 Lead the Fight series to move forward its efforts addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and childhood trauma with the healthcare providers who are on the frontlines of seeing children and families. In partnership with the Palm Beach Pediatric Society, the Center hosted the third and final part of the series, Positivity Will Give HOPE for Our Future, on December 4.

Led by Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine, president of the Palm Beach Pediatric Society and medical director of Center for Child Counseling, the event focused on HOPE (healthy outcomes from positive experiences) and understanding the effect of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on countering the long-term effect of ACEs and trauma, including the role of epigenetics. 

Featured guest speakers included Renée Layman, CEO of Center for Child Counseling, and Eugenia Flores Millender, Ph.D., RN, PMH-APRN, FAAN. The goal of the evening was to help pediatric medical professionals better understand PCEs and how environmental influences–children’s experiences–actually affect the expression of their genes. 

Layman presented an overview of PCEs and the HOPE framework–stressing the idea that positive experiences are the antidote to adverse experiences in a child’s life. 

According to Layman, “As a society we tend to continue to focus on the negative…While addressing problems and deficits in a child’s life is vital, it would be a mistake to overlook the positive experiences that prevent, mitigate, and support healing from childhood trauma. HOPE shifts the narrative.”

She emphasized the necessity of love, connection, and intentional care for fostering a child’s ability to thrive, both in the moment and over their lifetime.

“A child thrives in the context of strong, nurturing connections with adults who care for them unconditionally. This connection creates a sense of safety, belonging, and worth essential for healthy development,” Layman added.

Positive experiences promote children’s health and well-being, allow children to form strong relationships and connections, cultivate positive self-image and self-worth, provide a sense of belonging, and build skills that promote resilience. The national data shows that PCEs protect adult mental health–the more positive experiences that a child has, the better their long-term health outcomes. 

Following Layman, Dr. Millender discussed how environmental stressors impact child development and health–diving into the research of epigenetics.

Millender is board chair at Center for Child Counseling and the co-founder and co-director of the Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity, assistant dean of research, and a tenured professor at Florida State University College of Nursing. She is an Afro-Indigenous Latina scientist, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, and a bilingual first-generation immigrant. These diverse experiences shape and guide her research, focusing on reducing mental health disparities. 

Millender’s work explores how socio-cultural stressors and trauma contribute to transgenerational psychological and co-occurring physical illnesses through gene-environment interactions. She has dedicated her career to increasing access to integrated mental health services and community-engaged research.

“It is not easy but it’s worth doing for our children, for their futures,” said Millender.  

In 2015, Center for Child Counseling launched Fighting ACEs to build awareness and action to mitigate the impact of ACEs and build well-being through Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). In conjunction with Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2017, the Center developed ‘Lead the Fight’ in 2016 to bring awareness to system leaders around fighting childhood adversity with advocacy and action. Since that time, the agency has educated tens of thousands of parents, professionals, and systems leaders. 

Partnership sponsors who are leading the fight in making these important and necessary conversations possible include: BeWellPBC, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, Florida Association for Infant Mental Health, Hanley Foundation, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Palm Beach Pediatrics, Palm Beach Pediatric Society, and Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley

CFCC’s Fighting ACEs initiative to build trauma-informed communities is made possible with the generous support of Quantum Foundation, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, and private donors.

CFCC’s pediatric integration program is made possible thanks to the support of Quantum Foundation, The Frederick DeLuca Foundation, and Palm Beach County Community Services Department

The Lead the Fight 2025 series will kickoff with an event featuring Dr. Nadine Burke Harris on February 28 at the Kravis Center. Burke Harris is the former attorney general of California and an internationally renowned pediatrician, public health advocate, and author.

For more information on the upcoming event and joining the fight against ACEs, visit: centerforchildcounseling.org/leadthefight

About Center for Child Counseling
Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County since 1999. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships. www.centerforchildcounseling.org Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling Instagram: @childcounselpbc

###

New Grant Gives HOPE to Parents and Children in Palm Beach County

NEWS RELEASE
October 18, 2024
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
cara@yourmissionmarketing.com

New Grant Gives HOPE to Parents and Children in Palm Beach County
Center for Child Counseling promotes healthy outcomes and positive experiences within families with a $130,000/year grant from the Youth Services Department. 

Local nonprofit Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) recently secured funding from Palm Beach County Youth Services Department to promote HOPE–healthy outcomes from positive experiences–within families. The $130,000 award per year over the next three years for Project Promoting Family HOPE will be used to offer parent/caregiver education and support to address the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma, and toxic stress. By integrating prevention and early intervention at the family level, parents and caregivers can create safe, supportive environments that promote resilience, healthy relationships, and well-being. 

According to CFCC CEO Renée Layman, “HOPE is a strategy. Without it, we give in, give up, and believe this world is good enough for our kids.”

Positive connection is at the core of CFCC’s work and mission to build the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children, families, and communities. Through prevention and early intervention, the agency strives to address the root causes of mental health struggles early on, to mitigate crises before they escalate. The Center is fighting ACEs and the youth mental health crisis with the best weapon possible: positive childhood experiences (PCEs) grounded in trauma-informed positive relationships and support. 

Project Promoting Family HOPE provides two-generation interventions aimed at promoting positive parenting, nurturing relationships, safe environments, and opportunities for social and emotional development. Adults who report higher numbers of PCEs are less likely to experience depression or poor mental health, and adolescents who have positive experiences during childhood are less likely to develop mental health problems later in life. 

This project focuses on enhancing the capacities of people who live and work with children to mitigate the impact of ACEs and promote HOPE. Evidenced-based strategies and education will focus on youth and families exposed to a variety of stressors, including: harsh parenting strategies, including abuse; domestic and/or community violence; caregiver arrest, incarceration, or absence from the home; caregiver or family history of addiction, substance misuse, mental illness; homelessness or lack of housing stability; family member’s chronic illness or sudden death; separation from parents or placement in the foster care system. 

“No family should shoulder the burden of parenthood alone, especially in a world that feels increasingly disconnected, with mounting economic and political stress. Our data reflects high levels of parent/caregiver dysregulation. But there is hope. All parents can benefit from a listening ear, a guiding hand, or simply a respite from the daily grind of parenthood. Our goal is to give parents this hope so that they can be the positive force in their children’s growth. So their kids can grow and develop into healthy, resilient adults,” stated Layman. 

Through the PBC Youth Services Department grant, the Center is able to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate parent/caregiver and professional education through various curricular materials and workshops. For instance, A Way of Being with Children: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Building Safety and Resilience, is a new research-based curriculum developed for adults who work or live with elementary-aged children and includes a 140-page manual with access to tip sheets, videos, and workshops. This curriculum is being delivered live, in-person or via Zoom, and has content available on CFCC’s learning management system at bekidsafe.org. Educational materials and workshops are offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole

For more information, visit centerforchildcounseling.org. 

About Center for Child Counseling
Since 1999, Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships. For more information visit, centerforchildcounseling.org/. 

Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling Instagram: @childcounselpbc

###

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Strengthen Families and Prevent Child Abuse

April 1, 2024
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
cara@yourmissionmarketing.com

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Strengthen Families and Prevent Child Abuse

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This initiative is rooted in communities working  together to serve children and their families in meaningful, impactful ways that provide families with the support they need, especially during challenging times. 

According to the latest national data, an estimated 1,990 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States in 2022. Approximately 3.1 million children across the country received  either an investigation or an alternative response by child protective services, and 558,899 children were found to be victims of child maltreatment. 

Local nonprofit Center for Child Counseling supports thousands of children each year in preventing and healing the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. In 2023, 80% of the Center’s clients reported having at least one ACE and 34% of clients had four or more ACEs. Adults with four or more ACEs: have a 1200% increased risk of suicide; are two times more likely to smoke, develop heart disease, or cancer; are seven times more likely to abuse alcohol. Early intervention is imperative because childhood trauma is not something a child simply outgrows; it must be addressed with positive factors such as buffering relationships, resiliency building experiences, and positive community environments.

This month and throughout the year, Center for Child Counseling encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Palm Beach County a better place for children and families. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can significantly mitigate the impact of ACEs and childhood trauma. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote the social and emotional well-being of children and youth and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities.  

Last year, 92% of the Center’s clients reported cultivating eight or more protective factors. Protective factors are the strengths and resources families draw on during difficult times to shield them from life’s stresses. Research shows that when parents possess protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish and optimal outcomes for children, youth, and families are promoted. Major protective factors include knowledge of parenting, knowledge of child  development, parental resilience, social connections, and concrete supports.  

“Preventing child abuse necessitates reframing childhood adversity as a public issue, a preventable issue, and a solvable issue. It beckons us to recognize that we all have a stake in the well-being of our children–that their future is our collective responsibility. To make it a public issue is to underscore that child abuse knows no boundaries, affecting families from all walks of life. It demands that we advocate for policies that foster family well-being–policies that ensure access to good jobs, safe neighborhoods, consistent healthcare, and quality education for every family,” stated Renée Layman, CEO of Center for Child Counseling.

The Center provides a safe space for children and families to receive counseling and support for mental health concerns. The organization also has six clinical programs, developed to fill critical gaps in Palm Beach County’s system of care, and is recognized as South Florida’s premier organization tackling the impact of ACEs and childhood trauma. Using a public health framework, the Center mitigates mental health concerns through prevention and early intervention–including providing education around the state, nation, and world about ACEs.

For more information about child abuse prevention programs and resources, visit centerforchildcounseling.org.

Interview availability:
Renée Layman, LMHC, Chief Executive Officer of Center for Child Counseling

Resources:

About Center for Child Counseling
Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County since 1999. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships. www.centerforchildcounseling.org Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling Instagram: @childcounselpbc

### 

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial