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What
We Do -- Our VISION
The
Counseling and Education Center, staffed by a diverse community of
dedicated caring professionals enriches our community by providing
affordable emotional, psychological, and spiritual intervention and
prevention counseling services to families and individuals.
Our
Mission
The Counseling and Education Center enriches our
community’s emotional health through affordable professional
counseling.
Counseling
All CEC Counselors have Master's degrees and advanced training in their fields
of expertise. Interns are graduate students doing their practicum and
internship at CEC as they work with our other Counselors and clients.
Some examples of problems that counseling can address are depression, anxiety
disorders, physical and sexual abuse, relationship difficulties, adult and child
victims of domestic violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjustment
problems (e.g. loss of a job, loved one, etc.).
Counseling services are provided for individuals, couples, parents/children,
adolescents, and families.
CLICK HERE TO
LEARN ABOUT
Counseling
Available for Caregivers
Play Therapy
[Click
HERE for more details and information]
This type of therapy for children safely addresses and resolves their problems.
Through play, children take responsibility for their behavior, create new
solutions, learn to experience and express emotion, and learn to be empathic.
They can recover from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
COIN and PowerAidr
COIN
PowerAidr support groups
for children who have an incarcerated parent and/or who been exposed to
violence. These groups use an approach that is
based on a curriculum from the Domestic Abuse Project. Our group of K-1st
graders meets weekly at Dos Rios Elementary School. The goals are to
support each child in learning that abuse is NEVER their fault, how to handle
conflict, and how to STAY SAFE. Scholarships are available when needed by
families of these children to provide free groups for COIN and PowerAidr!
Anger Management for Adults
Individual counseling and small-group therapy helps those
who are trying to learn new ways to resolve conflict and manage anger which may
arise between themselves and others, both at home and at work.
Insights & Anger Management for Adolescents
This course is designed to reduce risky behaviors at home, at school, and in the
community, and to help develop appropriate decision making patterns and habits.
The 12 week classes are intended for adolescents ages 12 through 18 years.
GOALS:
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To learn better
decision-making patterns that lower their risk for behavioral problems at home,
at school, and/or in the community. |
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To learn how their decisions
affect themselves and others. |
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To learn the steps to follow
when making healthy and good decisions. |
OBJECTIVES:
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To identify at least 5 steps
to use when making a decision. |
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To identify at which step
her/his pattern for making a decision is flawed, and |
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To develop a minimum of 3 ways
to repair the flaws in her/his decision-making pattern.
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Sexually Reactive Group
This group will help increase awareness and establish healthy behaviors and
boundaries, for children approximately ages 7 to 9 years old.
Workshops
Workshops can be designed for your group
or your office.
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Myers-Briggs Personality
Tests |
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Neuro-Linquistic
Programming (NLP) |
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Self-Esteem Building |
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Understanding Non-Verbal
Communications |
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Staff Development |
More About Child Therapy
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OUR GOAL
Our goal at CEC is to provide a supportive, safe and therapeutic setting for
you and your child. You may be bringing your child or teen to counseling for
a variety of reasons, such as low self-esteem, behavior problems, sexual
abuse, bedwetting, failing grades or skipping school, to name a few. We want
to provide an environment in which the problems you and/ or your child face
can be resolved.
Problems don't usually start overnight. By the time a parent makes the first
appointment, the situation usually has become very difficult, if not
unbearable, for the child, parent(s) or whole family. Don't expect the
problem to go away immediately. The length of treatment will be determined
by the individual rate of progress. Your child's therapist is always willing
to visit with you about scheduling and progress.
For children's safety, bring them into and out of the building for each
appointment. Please be prompt.
CLICK HERE TO
SEE PICTURES OF OUR SPECIAL PLAY THERAPY ROOMS. |
THE FIRST SESSION
At the first session, you will generally come without your child. At the
second session your child's therapist will ask you to explain the problem(s)
with the child present.
It is important for the child to be present to alleviate his worst fantasies
about what is wrong. A child always knows something is wrong, and often
imagines it to be much worse than it is. Whatever you need to say is
generally best said in front of your child. In this way the therapist can
observe the child's reactions, the dynamics between child and you, and hear
all sides. This is also the beginning of establishing a trusting
relationship with the child.
Therapists aren't too concerned if the child is unwilling to talk or give
his/her view at this time. The therapist is interested in having the child
be there to hear what his/her parents say, and for him/her to get a good
look at the therapist. The child discovers that the therapist is interested
in him/ her as a person and can see, hear, and treat him with respect.
After the problem is brought up, the therapist will often ask the parents to
wait outside while s/he talks with the child. S/he may say something about
doing what s/he can do to make things better, that we'll be doing some
things that are fun, that we'll be finding out about him/her and hope s/he
will, too, and explain about confidentiality -- in general, establish
rapport and trust.
CONFIDENTIALITY
A child needs to know that whatever is revealed to us will not go back
immediately to the parents. We explain that the only times we are obligated
to break confidentiality is if the child is a danger to others, suicidal or
when the child's life is in danger through physical, emotional or sexual
abuse.
If we decide there is something that would be beneficial for parent(s) to
know, we ask the child if we can discuss the issue with you, the parent(s),
always in the child's presence. Children over 14 years of age legally have
the privilege of confidentiality.
HOW LONG WILL THERAPY LAST?
Length of therapy depends on the age of the child and counseling goals. We
will work with your child only as long as we judge necessary. Graduation is
always planned with the parent and child. The child partly defines the
length of therapy by the attitude and demeanor displayed.
Children reach a plateau in therapy, and this can be a good stopping time.
The child needs time to integrate the changes taking place as a result of
the therapy. At a later stage a child may again benefit from therapy. If
therapy is stopped prematurely, the child may revert to old behavior in
order to continue therapy.
Preparation and timing for graduation from therapy are important. When
therapy is stopped abruptly, a child feels abandoned by the therapist.
People need time to deal with the feelings involved in saying goodbye to
anyone they like and care about. Usually we will suggest that we meet a
couple of times or more, on alternate weeks before graduation.
THE VALUE OF PLAY THERAPY
"When we listen and see what children do and how they play, we have a chance
to know them better. When children play, they speak of themselves. We adults
often don't take children's play as an open, honest and important expression
of their lives, problems and joys. We say,' Children just play. ' But for
the child, play is serious, purposeful business." (Violet Oaklander, Windows
To Our Children).
Through play therapy the child has a safe place, where s/he can try out
different ways of being: either gentle, quiet, thoughtful or aggressive.
Play serves as a symbolism, a substitute for missing words. When children
draw, they create themselves and their own world on paper.
Example: A ten year old boy drew "Batman." We can relate
his choice to a movie-- and that's it--or we can view it as an expression of
himself. When he finished his drawing, the therapist asked him if he could
be this "batman," and he told her a lot about himself. He said "I am in the
wind, I can fly where ever I want to." The therapist believed him
wholeheartedly knowing that he suffered from his parents' divorce. He missed
his father who lived in another state.
The boy as "Batman" said, "I am strong. I am invisible so I can fight
crime." Then he pointed to the shield, saying "I have a shield; nothing can
hurt me. I wear a mask; nobody can see me; I hide my real face." This child
desperately tried to hide his sadness and despair regarding his parents'
divorce. But as "Batman" he felt safe to express his feelings.
Sometimes this is the only way--through play, fantasy, drawing--to disclose
himself. What a child draws or how he plays shows how this -child is in the
world. We learn about his fantasies, fears, guilt, hopes, wants and needs,
and we handle his play and material with care. A drawing, a puppet, or a toy
speaks for a child. As CEC counselors we believe that we can help children
grow emotionally by expressing blocked feelings through play. The goal is to
assist children with problems and to help them become happier human beings.
POSSIBLE CUES THAT INDICATE A PROBLEM
These behaviors may be indications that something is happening that may
merit looking into. Any sudden change of behavior may be a cue. Examples
include being: Bossy, Shy, Lazy, Sarcastic, Sullen, Overly aggressive, Poor
sport, Class clown
Other cues: Lying, Playing hooky, Over-eating, Bragging, Head banging,
Bedwetting, Clamming up, Sleeping excessively, Insomnia, Tattling, Drug use,
Self-pity, Hurting self, Nightmares
(Some exerpts are from Windows To Our Children, by Violet Oaklander)
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And, here is a brochure from APT that
tells more about how Play Therapy can help children.
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Counseling & Education Center..Counseling
With A Difference
