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Cape Cod Family Resource Center
- Fridays 9:30-10:30 am - Kind Kids
- Mondays 6-8 pm - Nurturing Fathers
- Tuesdays 5-7 - Active Parenting
- 3rd Wednesday of the month - 5:30pm - Grandparents Helping Grandparents Support Group
- 3rd Thursday of the month - 5:30pm - Single Parents Support Group
- 1st Tuesday of the month - 5:30pm - Parents of Transitional Age Youth Support
For more information about these events call: 508-815-5100
Whitinsville
- Thursdays at 6:30pm - DBT Skills Treatment Series for Adults
- Tuesdays 4-4:45 (10/3-11/14) - Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Group Grades 1-3
- Thursdays 4-4:45 (9/28-11-9) - Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Group Grades 4-7
Worcester
- Thursdays - 4 pm - Creative Counseling Social Skills Group
For more information about these events call: 508.234.4181
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Just 4 days away! The
6th annual High Five 5K, hosted by our frien
d
s at the Mullet Marathon, will take place this Saturday, Oct. 7 , 2016 at 10 a.m.
in Sandwich, Mass. The race starts and finishes in front of Seafood Sam's restaurant on the Cape Cod Canal. Runners will race through Sandwich Marina and around the Town Neck neighborhood, most likely smiling, high-fiving and having an exceptionally great time along the way!
All proceeds from the race go to supporting our programs throughout the state. As a major fundraiser for Family Continuity, we need your support. If you aren't already register
ed, or don't plan on running, consider donating to the cause. Your donation will be a big HIGH FIVE to all the runners that support us every year!
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Dear Friends,
As we as a community and a nation struggle to stay on top of the news events of the last few months, devastating natural disasters and horrific acts of violence, I keep coming back to the word "family." We at Family Continuity define family in broad terms. Family is more than parents and children, but encompasses friends, neighbors, and the wider community. During times of hardship, it is heartening to see people coming together, regardless of race, gender, political affiliation, or class, as a family, to help and protect one another.
We as an agency, continue to grow to meet the needs of our communities. We are more focused than ever on strengthening that larger human family. Whether it is our work supporting refugee women in times of adversity, helping an individual struggling with addiction to find a job and/or a home, or giving a child a fresh new haircut for the first day of school, these actions matter. The larger community family matters. As we look ahead to the holidays and celebrate all the things we have to be thankful for, I call on each of us to look for ways to lift up our "family," to support our neighbors as we would our relatives, to be kind to and compassionate with one another and to join us in strengthening the simple bonds that connect us all.
Wishing you a safe and warm autumn and holiday season.
Until next time,
Barbara Wilson, LICSW
CEO
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| Program Spotlight: Recovery to Work |
"Treatment works. Recovery is real." This adage is at the heart of our many initiatives aimed at collaborating with community stakeholders to increase access to substance use treatment for those in need. No one can do this work alone. Through programs such as the Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) and the Blackstone Valley Connector, we are supporting individuals who may not otherwise reach out for help by connecting them to resources such as treatment,
housing, employment, etc.
To this end, we have begun a pilot collaboration be
tween City of Worcester Department of Health and Human Services and Workforce Central Career Center to provide these support services to individuals who have recently been incarcerated. Funded by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation in 2017, we supported 15 individuals by providing recovery servic
es that included individual counseling services, group counseling, and or self-help activities. During the pilot, only
one participant experienced a relapse resulting in his not being able to complete the entire program.
Year
two
of this
pilot has already begun and we will be working to expand this initiative and our support of the recovery community in the Greater Worcester area.
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Access to care is one of the single most important factors in improving mental wellness and strengthening communities. Research tells us that if individuals and families do not feel that they are culturally and linguistically represented, if the professionals charged with helping them do not represent and understand them, and the environments they enter are not welcoming, people will not seek out or engage in treatment. As an agency with a large geographic footprint, we are committed to adequately representing and supporting the diverse individuals and families from all of our communities. From urban cities like Lawrence with diverse populations and socioeconomic barriers to rural communities like Whitinsville where physical isolation can impact individuals' ability to access services, it is critical that we are sensitive, responsive, and inclusive in our service provision, hiring practices, and physical spaces.
To this end, our Diversity and Inclusion Committee ensures that all our sites are adhering to the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards put out by Executive Office of Health and Human Services. These standards create a blueprint for cultural responsiveness and inclusion that addresses recruitment, language access, community connections, and staff training. Stay tuned for upcoming news on the exciting initiatives this committed group of individuals are planning!
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September was National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Every year over 40,000 people die by suicide. It is the 10th leading cause of death for US adults and the 2nd leading cause of death for individuals ages 10-24. Here is our Peabody
sharing the importance of mental health at the Out of Darkness Walk in
Wakefield.
Our Worcester Clinic has been offering a support group to Iraqi and Syrian women that uses a
rt therapy to identify personal qualities connected to human strength. Here's some of their amazing work!
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Thanks to scholarships provided by the Crane Co. and Trustees 10 of our children were able to attend a week of Summer Quest camp at the Crane Estate. Themed, "Survivor," week, the children
were encourage to "
fend for themselves" in the wilds of the Crane
Estate, and wor
k together to learn what it takes to survive.
This was a unique opportunity to support familie
s that would not otherwise be able to afford the experience and allow children the opportunity to just be kids. One of the families had this to say about the week:
"Matt had a great time! I asked him if there was anything he would change, and he said "I wish it was two weeks long! And we could have a sleepover night!" He enjoyed the round trip bus ride, the counselors, the different planned activities, and the free time. He came home tired and happy every night and woke up excited to go back. We were blessed with perfect weather, and my husband and I enjoyed the Friday afternoon slideshow and song. We would not have been able to afford this awesome experience. Thank you for making his Survivor week possible !"
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As August end
ed and kids and parents started shift gears away from lazy summer days to the school year
ahead, Our Cape Cod Family Resource Center held our annual Healthy Kids Back to Sc
hool Fair. Shifting from summer to school can be challenging and this community event was a chance to help local families get prepared, connect, and celebrate the year ahead
. Over 200 people attended, 158 backpacks full of school supplies given to children, 29 free haircuts, 43 child ID s processed, countless lunches served/books and clothes given away.
Healthy Kids Back to School Partners:
| Cotuit Library |
Marine Lodge AF +AM |
Girl Scouts Eastern MA
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| Harbor Health |
JRI |
Health Imperatives/WIC
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| YMCA Cape Cod |
Independence House |
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| Staples |
Cape Cod Cooperative Ext. |
Barnstable Police
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South Cape Village Hair & Spa
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Big Brothers Big Sisters |
US Air Force
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| K-Mart |
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We couldn't have done it without all of you (and many other community partners generously helping out behind the scenes.) THANK YOU!
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Mental Health and the Holidays
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With the fall colors just beginning to change, it is easy to forget the holidays are right around the corner. For many, this is a time of family, friends, good food and cheer. For others, however, the stress of the holidays can be overwhelming, especially if they bring up painful memories about the lost loved ones or past trauma. It is important to re
member that this time of year can be hard for many. Below are some tips to better manage the h
olidays:
- Self care - it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the holidays. Sleeping, eating well, and carving out downtime can all get put on the back burner. Remember to take care of yourself so you are able to truly enjoy the season.
- Give more than presents - Remember those around you that are struggling with depression, life circumstances, and loneliness. Give an extra hug to a friend struggling with mental illness, volunteer at a local food pantry or visit residents at a nursing home. These small acts of kindness can make all the difference for someone in need.
- Say no - Prioritize commitments and remember that its OK to say no. Sometimes less is more and giving yourself space to truly enjoy a few activities and engagements rather than hastily trying to fit in as much as possible will give you time to appreciate the most important things this time of year.
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Featured Job:
Cape Cod Family Resource Center Clincian
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Do you want to work in a welcoming, supportive, and caring environment to support families on Cape Cod? We are looking for a full time clinician to join our Cape Cod Family Resource Center (FRC) team!
The FRC Clinician works as an integral member of a small team and provides a wide range of strength-based supports and care coordination services to children, youth, adults, and families with varied needs; administers assessment tools to families and youth; and facilitates and co-facilitates parent and youth support groups and evidence-based parent education classes.
Our Cape Cod Family Resource Center is located in Hyannis and is
o
ne of eighteen such centers spread across Massachusetts. As part of this
statewide networ
k, they offer evidence-based parent education programs, parent support groups, early childhood services, information and referral resources and education for families fro
m every community on Cape Cod, regardless of insurance or income. Their goal is to support families to strengthen bonds, conn
ect to others, and engage in community. Our core values are: RESPECT, TRUST, SAFETY, WELLNESS, CA
RING, CONNECTIVITY and EDUCATION.
To apply send cover letter and resume to Paul N. Melville, Program Director at [email protected].
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Shop for the holidays using Amazon S
m
i
le (click below) and select Family Continuity (FCP, Inc.) as your charity of choice. A portion of
your purchase will go to help families in need.
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