Seven year old Isaiah had not been allowed to see his father for a very long time because Dad had a substance abuse problem and needed help. Isaiah finally got to visit his father and soon after was allowed to spend the night at his Dad’s house. When Isaiah woke up the next morning, his …
Barbara, married and the mother of a school-aged son, moved to Richmond from a small town in the late 1990s. With the birth of her second child, she was forced to quit her job due to the family’s inability to pay for child care. Starting with little more than a few used toys and the …
Parents have been trying forever to solve the age old problem of getting kids to try new foods. This goal is no different for ChildSavers as we try to encourage the children our providers care for to embrace healthy and nutritious food. The long standing solution for this problem has been that kids simply need …
A child with a history of neglect comes to the therapist’s office and will not speak. A mother who is overwhelmed with grief comes to the therapist’s office and cannot talk through her tears. A teenager comes to the therapist’s office and does not say a word. He is only in counseling because a judge …
Communicating Without Words: Sand Tray in Therapy Read More »
Here at ChildSavers, I provide outpatient mental health services to our clients and families. Most of my clients are Black youth being raised by Black mothers and grandmothers. Often I see a pattern in many of these women which can be described as the Black Superwoman Complex or the Strong Black Woman narrative. In the …
According to the National Center for Voice and Speech, the average conversation rate for English speakers in the United States is about 150 wpm. Wow! We have an incredible opportunity to help build up a family member, co-worker, or child each time we interact with them by choosing positive, powerful words. Doing so builds resilience …
I am excited to talk to you all this month about Black storytelling and its healing power. We’ve talked in previous cultural competency blogs about the importance of using books about Black culture when working with a Black child. Today we will talk about the power of Black storytelling, no matter who the reader is. …
“Do you remember middle school?” This question makes many of us squirm. Many people think of their own 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years as their low point, emotionally and socially. Going back to middle school sounds like torture. We’d like to remind you that the sometimes annoying middle school students in our lives actually …
Navigating Emotional Challenges: Middle Schoolers Read More »
ChildSavers guides our community’s children through life’s critical moments with trauma-informed mental health and child development services. As an agency, we define trauma as a painful emotional experience caused by an event or events that challenge a person’s sense of safety. Today I am starting a conversation about what culture, race, and ethnicity have to …
