WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Center for Child Counseling in Palm Beach County recently launched a new program to improve the mental health of the youngest members of our society.
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Called "A Way of Being with Children: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Building Resilience", the online training is geared toward parents, teachers, child care workers, or anyone who regularly interacts with children and families.
The developers of the program said the campaign aims to build a more trauma-informed community.
The Opportunity Early Childhood Education and Family Center is a nonprofit that serves families who wouldn't have access to stable child care. They currently have a waitlist of about 400 children and say many of the children they serve come from difficult backgrounds who have faced trauma.
Ali Eger, the executive director at the center, said the goal is all about creating opportunities for children to succeed.
"To be the generation that breaks the cycle of poverty in their family," Eger said.
She said mental health and coping skills play a large role in their efforts.
"We do have quite a number of children, at any given point in time, that have or are currently experiencing trauma," Eger said.
Dominka Nolan, who works at the Center for Child Counseling, said the course helps adults identify trauma and address it.
"Children don’t have that vocabulary to communicate. They need someone to be there for them," Nolan said.
Counselors believe the new program will help children to grow up with adults who understand the impact of trauma, thus preventing re-traumatizing children through their words or actions.
"It's something that will affect all of us, and everybody needs to be aware and a part of the awareness and the solution," Eger said.
Click here to learn more about the 5.5-hour training session and how you can register.