Strengthening Families: Community and Church Working Together

 

By Nancy Karpenske 

Exhibit A: snapshot of a teenager and an older person talking while eating at a fast-food restaurant.

Exhibit B: snapshot of that same older person dropping the teen off at his home, stopping for a few minutes to talk with the teen”s mom.

Exhibit C: snapshot of that same older person now in the principal”s office with the same teen, serving as an encouraging presence in a “check-up” meeting.

Exhibit D: wide-angle photo, large conference room. The participants” name tags identify them as representatives of agencies from across the county: employment services, department of health, probation department, school districts, department of human services, a behavioral health agency, and . . . counselors from a church?

The final snapshot is of the Multidisciplinary Youth Assessment Team (MYAT) of Weld County, Colorado, planning strategies to make a difference in the lives of at-risk teens. You might be surprised to find church representatives welcome at the table. In fact, not only are they welcome, but their salaries are funded by the county.

 

The Problem

In 2002 a human services team recognized one of its major expenses was the huge cost ($60,000 per child, per year) of caring for children and teens who had to be removed from their homes, either because the home or the child was troubled. Sometimes those out-of-home services can be located quite far from the child”s home””especially in an extremely large county like ours””making it difficult for parents to participate in treatment. In order for the child to be successful when he or she returns home, the family system, and not just the child”s behavior, must have changed.

The team began to explore better ways to spend its money. It focused on changing the family system and using community resources so the child could remain in the home.

What if the agency could provide more help to parents and more intensive one-on-one attention to the child before the behaviors reached crisis stage? Could the dollars be spent before instead of after? The MYAT program resulted from these discussions.

 

The Solution

The team intervenes in families with children ages 10-17. These youth are experiencing conflict, substance abuse issues, thoughts of suicide, runaway behaviors, depression, truancy, interest in gangs, and excessive disobedience. Kids are typically referred to MYAT by a variety of community professionals, including school principals and guidance counselors. Parents may inquire about help for their child. Sometimes the court suggests MYAT intervention as an alternative to probation or incarceration.

MYAT can provide a wide range of services, including counseling, tutoring, and mentoring, as well as parent training. That is where the counselors from LifeBridge Christian Church enter the picture.

LifeBridge counselors are assigned to as many as 16 kids and their families. The MYAT team worker/LifeBridge counselor visits the home and meets the parents. The counselor, parents, and child help create a plan appropriate to the age of the child and circumstances of the family. Participants and the MYAT team review and update the plan monthly.

MYAT has a huge success rate. Eighty-five percent of clients are able to stay in their homes instead of going to foster care, juvenile detention, or jail.

 

Team Effort

The entire MYAT team meets together twice weekly. One of those meetings is a staffing conference where team members give updates and receive input about the next step for each client. Assembling all the expertise and resources of the team members connects the family to a wide variety of supportive community services and interventions designed to bring change and support success.

The counselor begins meeting with the family, at first several times a week. The counselor strives to build an alliance with family members and create a relationship that will encourage change.

MYAT views the youth”s inappropriate behaviors as symptoms of a family system that does not meet the needs of all family members. The counselor assesses the strengths and potential of the family to help them develop a plan that will adequately support each member.

The family agrees on goals, taking ownership of the family”s treatment plan. One goal might be to successfully connect the youth to a support system of other helping adults who provide supervision and pro-social activities. Many times the adults the youths end up connecting with are their parents.

 

Counselors Speak

Here”s what counselor Kurt Gattmann might say to a teen to help him begin to build his future: “We are going to find your spark. We are going to zero in on what you are good at. We”re going to build on your strengths and interests. You are going to be on fire for life!”

“The counselor has complete freedom to speak about his personal faith when appropriate,” said Bill Grant, former LifeBridge elder and retired MYAT counselor. “It was good to be able to say, “˜Jesus in my life gave me a power and internal source of strength that I never had before. That”s how I overcame trials in my own life.” Kids seemed to view me as a grandfatherly figure more than a counselor. My age was a positive factor. My faith was definitely a positive factor, too. I wasn”t preachy. I showed I cared and I let them know Jesus cares too.”

 

For Parents, Too

MYAT also assists the child by helping the parents. Many parents need suggestions about how to stay focused on their crucial and primary role as parents, while also dealing with life”s daily and unending stresses. MYAT typically helps in single-parent situations and in homes where two parents juggle multiple jobs. The lack of parental availability creates too much free time and too little direction for their children.

The MYAT counselor meets with parents and helps them practice ways to offer positive reinforcement by recognizing their child”s strengths and appropriate behaviors. The counselor can model and suggest ways to be more involved in many aspects of their child”s life, including the child”s education.

 

The Church Connection

How did LifeBridge Christian Church get a seat at the MYAT table?

“¢ Our church”s reputation opened the door. Because the church plans to locate on property in Weld County, we have been building bridges there for years. Our volunteers have helped in schools and provided volunteers for projects in the small communities near us. Now we have two LifeBridge sites meeting in schools in Weld County, but our association with Weld County Human Services predates the launch of those sites.

“¢ Our existing vision and programs for counseling and family ministry matched the needs. When the human services team was brainstorming about changing its strategy, they wondered if area churches had any services compatible with their goal of helping children and families. They invited churches to dialogue about the possibility of working together.

 Leroy Casey, elder and head of the pastoral care ministry, began discussing ways LifeBridge could partner in this venture with Weld County. The discussions resulted in Casey screening, choosing, and hiring two LifeBridge employees who are full-fledged members of MYAT.

“I looked for these qualities: (1) desire to work with youth; (2) counseling strengths; and (3) ability to work with a team. After I interviewed and selected candidates, I sent them to the program coordinator. He interviewed and approved them.” Weld County contracts with LifeBridge to provide the services. Casey sends a quarterly invoice, and Weld County sends a payment to the church for the counselors” salaries.

What a powerful way to demonstrate the caring arms of the church! What an astounding opportunity and privilege for the church to work alongside all the helping resources in our community. Wouldn”t it be great if this model could inspire other churches and other communities to come together to strengthen families?

 

 

 

Nancy Karpenske, a contributing editor with CHRISTIAN STANDARD, is director of women”s ministry at LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado.