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Health Care
Whispers of Wisdom
Discreet coaching for parents is part of Child Focus therapy program
Tania White, MA, PC, an outpatient therapist with Child Focus, uses play therapy to build a relationship with young clients.The Parent/Child Interactive Therapy program at Child Focus provides that magical voice every parent wishes they could hear.
With the help of a discreet ear bud, a therapist behind a two-way mirror coaches the parent through a series of hour-long sessions with the child. Each pair attends a 14-session program that centers on child-directed interaction, where parents are taught to acknowledge only positive behaviors, and parent-directed interaction, where parents are taught to give effective commands.
Participants in the program have reported improvement in the behavior of their 2- through 12-year-olds, particularly in the area of aggression, says Dr. Laura Stith, Child Focus chief clinical officer and director of traditional outpatient mental health services and partial hospitalization.
“The response from families has been extremely positive,” Stith says of the program that started in Clermont County about three years ago. “It takes the therapist out of the vision and hearing of the child – and of the parent – so that their communication is freer. It’s a powerful exercise.”
Child Focus was incorporated in 1977 as the Clermont County Diagnostic Center, but its broadened scope now provides developmental, educational and therapeutic programs for about 5,000 families a year, becoming the 17th largest employer in Clermont County.
Child Focus attempts to exemplify its motto, “We Make the Difference That Lasts a Lifetime,” by helping children from infancy through high school. The youngest clients receive childcare, health screenings, preschool and the Head Start program, which has expanded from 150 children to 950. Foster-care placement and training programs span all ages.
School-age children can utilize Mental Health and Bullying Prevention Services, while the Last Chance Driving Program works with the Clermont County Sheriff’s Department to target teen drivers who have received tickets for reckless driving, speeding or moving violations.
In 2005, the agency’s outpatient mental health program handled 1,553 traditional outpatient mental health cases, according to Tara Dawson, Child Focus marketing and development director.
Areas of focus include school-failure, anger, aggression, grief, divorce, self-esteem issues, sex offenders and child abuse or neglect. Referrals come from schools, social service agencies, doctors and parents; therapy is home-based or in an office setting. As the child progresses, follow-up is done in the home, school or elsewhere in the community.
Story by Kelli Levey
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
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