In the News
Jewish Family Service Marks the Grand Opening of The Specialty Center for Youth Interventions
Posted on October 13, 2010
Jewish Family Service introduced its newest program for children and families with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Community leaders, government officials, business professionals and clinical experts gathered at the Jewish Family Service office in Margate to celebrate the official grand opening of The Specialty Center for Youth Interventions.
The crowded room of attendees included award-winning novelist, Carol Plum-Ucci, Edna Pomrink and Carmen Rolon of the Department of Children’s Behavioral Health Services, along with Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, Margate Mayor Michael Becker, Margate Commissioners Maury Blumberg and Daniel Campbell, as well as Freeholders Frank Formica and James Curcio.
“Today’s children and teens face many challenges— at home, at school and with friends. Poor school performance, temper tantrums, lack of confidence—these are all ways that children show us when they are in need of extra support,” explains Director of Children’s Services Dr. Nina Stolzenberg.
The program provides assistance to children and their families in order to successfully meet any challenge a child may encounter. Evidenced-based interventions are provided by a team of experts, specially trained to work with youth and their families.
The first approach, Parent Management Training (PMT)is designed for children ages 3-14 years old. This program was developed as a result of common behavior problems such as temper tantrums and refusal to do chores or severe aggression. Sessions are held with the parent(s)/caregiver and youth and when necessary, siblings are included. PMT generally requires 12-16 meetings.
The second approach, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) has been shown to reduce trauma symptoms in children and adolescents.This approach teaches children coping skills to manage the trauma more effectively; assists the child or adolescent in telling their story; and helps the youth to think about the situation more realistically. In addition, parents are included in the treatment in order to assist them in coping with what happened to their child, reconsider their own misconceptions about the trauma, such as if they should have been able to protect their child from the traumatic event, and to assist the parent in being able to hear their child or teenager tell his/her story and support him/her. These improvements last long after treatment ends.
“About one in four American children will experience a traumatic event by the age of 16,” explained Director of Clinical & Intake Services, Dr. Naomi Jones. “Exposure to trauma can trigger several behavioral or emotional problems including low academic performance, social isolation from friends and/or family members, depressed mood, or nightmares.”
Funded by the DCBHS, JFS offers five staff outpatient therapists specializing in Parent Management Training and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Program staff are highly-trained Master’s level therapists, licensed in the state of New Jersey, with many years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families. In addition, JFS has also increased its psychiatric services by adding specialized counseling hours with child psychiatrist Dr. Inua Momodu.
For more information about The Specialty Center for Youth Interventions at Jewish Family Service, please call 609-822-1108.
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