Dear Friends,
As we look back at 2008-2009 we are pleased to report that Family Paths has thrived in a time when some non-profits are facing layoffs or in some cases, closing their
doors. It was a year filled with successes, though we faced challenges as well. Our biggest challenge was a direct result of the stock market losses. Family Paths is the beneficiary of a Charitable Remainder Trust, a gift from Roberta and Tim McCoy. Although the trust will not mature for some time, the funds invested as part of the trust were deeply impacted by market losses. Of course, we're hopeful that the market will maintain the positive gains made recently, and we are thankful that the decreased value of the trust is "on paper" rather than having a realized financial impact on the agency.
As for successes, through the generous support of Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services we have been able to almost double our level of service to Hayward residents and its surrounding areas. We are delighted to have increased services to the community, but we are especially pleased to serve more clients in need during these stressful economic times. Folks that never thought they'd be unemployed, homeless, and under severe stress have found themselves in uncharted waters. For Family Paths, to make a difference in the lives of children and their families is why our agency was founded and why we've continued to serve the community for 38 years.
Other accomplishments for 2008-2009 were the completion of a new agency-wide database, we updated our information and referral database, and we began an intensive process for a new Strategic Plan. The new database is critical in our efforts to serve clients on our 24-hour crisis line, our various counseling services, and parent education services. Staff at Family Paths are incredibly dedicated to serving our clients, so any technology that allows them to focus more time and attention to clients greatly adds to job satisfaction.
Through the generous support of the Y&H Soda Foundation, in May 2008 the Board and management team began work on a new Strategic Plan, which we expect to complete in May 2010. The process has already been extremely rewarding and has led us to create a new vision, values, and mission statement. Working on the plan has also led us to answer some foundational questions that every social service agency needs to ask itself periodically- how do we best serve the community, how do we know that what we offer our clients really works, and what is it that Family Paths offers that makes us unique? We are answering these questions and many more. We look forward to sharing our Strategic Plan in the spring of 2010!
We are deeply grateful to our supporters and funders. With your help, we served over 7,000 children and families last fiscal year, and you made a significant difference in the lives of our clients. Thank you.
Marcella Reeves, Executive Director &
Randy Bergen MD, President, Board of Directors
A word from our leadership
Thanks to our holiday donors!
We want to send out a hearty Thank You to some of the community groups that helped Family Paths make the holiday season a little brighter for our families this year. Our thanks go out to:
The kind folks at Sandia National Laboratories, who collectively sponsored 110 clients by providing personalized, beautifully wrapped gifts;
Unity Church in Berkeley for their donation of over 75 handmade teddy bears, complete with handsome hand-knit hats for children;
All Soul's Episcopal Church for 150 cuddly teddy bears for foster children in Alameda County; and
Kaiser Permanente's 16th floor TPMG crew, for their generous sponsorship of 3 families over the holiday season. The personalized, wrapped gifts that they provided brought smiles to clients this year.
Thanks again to our community partners for helping us make this a great holiday season for these
Building Stronger Families
Marcus was 12 when he moved in with his older brother after he was removed from his mother's home due to her severe substance abuse problem. He was referred to Family Paths for therapy services with our FIT program because he wasn't doing well in school and not listening in the home. Because Marcus' older brother lived in a different city than where he grew up, he also left behind friends and familiar surroundings to attend a new school and live in a new neighborhood.
The Family Paths' Therapist met with Marcus at his school and sometimes in his home to address his feelings and fears that were underneath his behaviors. During the time of their work together, Marcus witnessed the violent death of a close friend, his sister became pregnant and his brother's wife had a baby. He was quickly feeling lost among all of these events, sad and alone in the world. His therapist kept a steady presence and helped him identify his strengths and goals as he teetered on the edge of failing out of school and getting involved with dangerous activities on the street.
Marcus used his time with his therapist to express his feelings, both through art and thoughtful reflection in their relationship. He felt heard and understood, not judged and blamed. He began to think through the consequences of some of his actions and identified ways he wanted his life to turn out differently from his mother's. An important part of the treatment was working with Marcus' older brother to help him understand the impact of trauma and loss and how to best support Marcus when his behavior was less than ideal.
After a year and a half, Marcus' grades and behavior in school started to improve. He made a decision to continue contact with his mother, which felt good to him. His relationship with his older brother started to improve as he felt his brother was more flexible and responsive to his emotional needs. With things moving in a positive direction, Marcus decided he no longer needed to be in therapy. His therapist acknowledged his hard work and all of his strengths that will certainly help him through future challenges. The family continues to know that our 24 Hour Family Support Line is here for them should they need us.
Free Yoga for Parents Classes in Oakland
Did you know that Family Paths offers yoga classes for parents? Yoga for Parents is a free class taught each Wednesday from 12-1pm in our Oakland office. Family Paths' Yoga Instructor Vincenza Baldino, MFT teaches yoga as a stress-management tool to strengthen and relax the body and the mind.
Yoga has many tangible benefits, including increased flexibility in ligaments, tendons and joints; toning in muscles, and detoxification through increased blood supply throughout the body. Other benefits of yoga include more complete use of breath, the harmonization of body and mind, and the possibility for deep, calming relaxation. At Family Paths we believe that it is when we care for ourselves that we can best care for others.
This class is a great opportunity for parents to take an hour of personal time to be led in gentle stretches and yoga poses. No previous yoga experience is necessary, and we are currently enrolling parents in our classes! If you or someone you know would like to join our yoga community, call Family Paths at 1-800-829-3777
Hotline Counseling Intern Project
Family Paths has partnered with the Safe Start Initiative as a consultant to the Promising Approaches Initiative, which seeks to increase the capacity of Oakland's family hotline services. Family Paths' 24 Hour Parent Support and Resource Line has been chosen as the Alameda County hotline number to be distributed to families needing assistance due to the affects of domestic violence.
In order to fulfill the goals of the Promising Approaches Initiative, Family Paths has developed the Hotline Counseling Intern Project. Our three interns answer calls, work on special projects and attend agency and community trainings. Interns assist the staff by increasing the number of callers who are immediately responded to and by providing additional ongoing case management for clients. They assist in writing training materials for volunteers and staff and gathering statistics, as well as with additional projects.
Meet Kareen McCabe, one of our Hotline Counseling Interns!
Kareen, what brought you to Family Paths? I'm currently in school at Holy Names University, finishing up my second master's degree in Forensic Psychology. I was happy to find what we call "counted hours" on a hotline. I'm definitely still working on fulfilling the program's 3,000 hour requirement!
Tell us something about your experience before coming to Family Paths. I grew up here in Oakland, and graduated with my master's degree in Counseling Psychology in May 2009. That involved working in a traineeship, during which I counseled kids and families at Patton Academy for three semesters.
In the November spirit, tell us something you are thankful for! Really, I'm thankful that I'm able to work in a position that's meaningful. That is so important to me.
The goal of the Safe Start Initiative is to broaden the knowledge of and promote community investment in evidence-based strategies for reducing the impact of children's exposure to violence. Visit Safe Start Center for more information on Safe Start's mission and goals.
Developments in Neuropsychology
Family Paths is committed to awareness and comprehension of the newest developments in the areas of psychology and neuropsychology that directly relate to working with people exposed to significant trauma. When new research offers implications for the therapeutic process, it is especially important that we are engaged in creating learning opportunities for our staff.
Barbra Silver, MFT, Family Paths' Clinical Director, participates in an ongoing reading group with neuropsychologist Allan Schore, Ph.D., whose activities as a clinician/scientist include theoretical work on the enduring impact of early trauma on brain development. Additionally, eleven Family Paths staff members and interns are currently involved in a nine-month remote-learning "webinar" program for mental health professionals. This program, hosted by Massachusetts-based clinical psychologist Janina Fisher, Ph.D., focuses on developing greater comfort and expertise in working with complex trauma and dissociation and staying current with the most recent treatment advances. Topics covered include integrating neurobiological research into trauma treatment, using mind-body techniques in traditional talking therapy, and working with dissociative symptoms and disorders.
Clinicians Phyllis Lorenz, MFT and Gwynne Gilson, MFT Intern, are two Family Paths employees who regularly participate in neuropsychology trainings.
Phyllis has given several presentations on trauma and dissociation at Family Paths. Her main focus is on how a child's developing brain is impacted by trauma and chronic stress. She emphasizes the importance of early care-giving experiences on the development of the child. Simply put, experience shapes the brain. In a safe and attuned environment, the infant develops a sense of self in relation to others, while a history of trauma and chronic stress can affect the developing brain of a young child, specifically the ability to regulate emotion in response to stress. Phyllis' trainings include information on how individuals learn to manage the trauma they have encountered, specifically dissociation. She teaches "Structural Dissociation", a model developed by Janina Fisher, Ph.D., which outlines the creative and brilliant ways individuals learn to survive the stress and trauma of their lives.
Gwynne is currently a participant in the three-year Somatic Experiencing training program, offered by the Foundation for Human Enrichment. Through these trainings, Gwynne has gained an understanding of how the nervous system responds to trauma, including the reasons why symptoms remain "stuck" in the body, sometimes for years. Somatic Experiencing techniques are designed to restore the body's innate ability to heal and are especially useful as an adjunct to traditional talk therapy.
Family Paths remains committed to utilizing the latest research developments as we work to heal the effects of trauma and violence in our community. We know how important it is to bring up-to-date treatment options to the families in Alameda County who need it most.