Centerstone to host free, virtual Creating Compassionate Communities two-day training

Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care, will host a free, virtual Engaging Families two-day training October 25-26 from 3-5 p.m.  CEUs and CPDUs are available.

Families and parenting adults are vital to young people’s learning and development. Yet it can be challenging to engage them meaningfully, particularly as their children enter middle and high school. This workshop reframes family engagement based on developmental relationships. In doing so, it sews seeds for practical strategies to work together for young people’s resilience and thriving.

Objectives of the training include:

• Learn how to engage diverse families as critical allies for advancing education, youth development, and resilience.
• Understand the often-hidden obstacles to partnering with families and learn practical ways to address those challenges.
• Learn respectful ways to build trust across differences.
• Begin to design relationship-rich, engaging learning experiences for parenting adults and their families. Take home tools and strategies to guide their next steps in launching or improving relationship-based family engagement efforts.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/1025-26. For more information, contact Zachary Schumacher, Centerstone’s Building Compassionate Communities Grant Coordinator, at zachary.schumacher@centerstone.org.

This training is sponsored by the Centerstone’s Building Compassionate Communities (BCC) project.

Building Compassionate Communities help families and communities with everything that goes into being a family, while focusing on strengthening resilience, improving access to healthcare, and enhancing the overall mental health service array.

“BCC serves anyone who is a part of a child’s life,” said Schumacher. “The project’s focus is improving the lives of children and their families, but the impact is felt by every person in their lives – other nearby family members, teachers, coaches, counselors and so on.

BCC works with non-profits, school districts, healthcare systems and other community partners to focus on improving the lives of children and families. BCC supports the Family Services program at Centerstone. Family Services provides telehealth, at-home, office or in-school services.  Family Services counselors help families with:

• Mental health screenings
• Mental health services for youth and families members
• Juvenile justice system navigation
• Special education and individualized education plan (IEP) help
• Reducing stereotypes and stigma related to mental health
• Preventative care
• Access to care
• Immediate and long-term needs for families of children impacted by mental health
• Peer provided services
• Support groups
• Parent education groups

“When a family isn’t functioning well for whatever reason, children are deeply affected. Some families have broken pieces that Centerstone wishes to help put back together. Together we can find what’s missing and make your family feel whole again,” said Schumacher. “Additionally, Southern Illinois has seen a rise in poverty over time. This comes with challenges to accessing nutrition, mental health help and basic self-care. As poverty increases, the quality of these items decreases. We’re working with community partners to increase the quality of life for children and families in these communities, which will in turn improve this part of the state.”

BCC supports communities, children, and families who live in Franklin, Jackson, Perry and Williamson counties. The Family Services program primarily works with local schools to provide mental health services to children with Medicaid.

There are multiple ways to get started with the Family Services program at Centerstone:

• Families can take the initiative and call 1-877-HOPE123 (877-467-3123). When you call, make sure you know what school district your student is in attendance and your insurance information. You don’t have to know exactly what kind of help you need to receive it – once you’re connected, our staff will guide you through the process.
• Schools can recommend families. Every partner school has a referral process through which they can refer a family directly to a counselor. From here, a project coordinator will help the family and begin services.
• Outside agencies, such as hospitals, can get a family connected to Family Services. The process is similar to that for families: the agency will call 1-877-HOPE123 and begin the initial screening there.

For more information, visit Centerstone.org/bcc or contact us today at 1-877-HOPE123.