Mental Health Matters: Women's Group Matters

By Social Work Intern Dulce Vallejo

Working in the Mental Wellness department, I get to see how much time and effort goes into planning the Women’s Group sessions every week. Seeing the process and development of the group sessions helps me realize how important these sessions are for our female residents.

A large portion of the families we serve find themselves experiencing homelessness because they are challenged with inadequate life skills, social supports, knowledge of resources in their own community, new coping mechanisms, and a sense of community and feeling like they belong.

During my observations in group therapy, I find that it offers an organized and protected space to bond with other women in such an authentic and comfortable way. It is a place for women to feel comfortable revealing parts of themselves; the fair, the immoral and the unpleasant. In such an environment it is easy to discovery the many ways in which they are alike.

The group’s purpose serves as a “mutual-aid system” where individuals learn and support each other while building helping relationships. Not only do they build them with each other, but also with the group leaders. Having common problems helps facilitate the development of the relationship. 

Sometimes residents just need to realize that they are not the only one going through this hardship and that there are others who feel the same. The group utilizes strengths such as independence, coping skills, empathy, relational abilities, self-reflection and recognizing their own strengths, among others.

According to an article I read about women’s group therapy by Joan Berzoff’s, she mentions that being comfortable enough to disclose similar traumatic events within a group increases a sense of belonging but it cannot just be the groups responsibility, the group leader must work at creating a safe environment as well as model positive behavior and that is exactly what I have seen the group leaders at Community LINC do (Berzoff, 2013). Berzoff, also believes psycho-education and advocacy can help empower women experiencing homelessness in group therapy, and that learning about other women’s stories can increase self-cohesion and esteem (Berzoff, 2013).

Not too long ago I met Rachel a resident who said to me “I don’t like counseling or therapy but I do like doing group stuff because it lets me know that I am not alone. It’s not that I am glad that they are going through hard times too, but just the sense that I am not alone in this is good for me.”

Go to our Face Book page and you will see pictures of some of the expressive therapy (art) items that the residents in the Women’s Group have made and are very proud of. The most recent pictures are from a group activity when the women were given art supplies and a small canvass and invited to make a collage depicting the ways “I Have the Power and Control” in making my life better. Several women who participated in the group process shared ways the activity helped them to focus on their strengths and remain hopeful that they will be able to move from homeless to hopeful.

Works Cited

Berzoff, J. (2013). Group Therapy With Homeless Women . Smith College Studies in Social Work , 83 (2-3).

Mental Wellness Matters: Readiness for Change Matters

By Director of Mental Health Services Griselda Williams

As a mental health provider I am trained to remain aware of those we are trying to help and their readiness for change. A professor of psychology named James O. Prochaska, in the 70’s, developed the “Stages of Change Model” to identify the process that humans go through when making changes in their lives. Since the 70’s, the model has been used in counseling, health care, substance abuse treatment, domestic violence intervention and many other settings because it is backed by research, but also it has credibility due to its effectiveness in gauging readiness for change. How many times have we in our personal lives said that we were going to start an exercise program, end an unhealthy relationship, take a class, change careers or maybe even just eat healthier, but it takes some time for us to put into motion the goals we discuss.

The stages that Prochaska identified were:

•                      Pre-contemplation---not currently considering change or aware that change would be helpful

•                      Contemplation—not considering change within the next month, ambivalent about change

•                      Preparation—some experience with change and testing making some change, plans to act within 1 month

•                      Action—practicing new behaviors and new thinking, putting plans into action

•                      Maintenance—continuing commitment to sustaining new behavior, new change

•                      Relapse—resumption of old behaviors

Prochaska states that humans may not pass through each stage easily and may move backward and forward and even relapse as that too is part of the human reaction to the process of change. I think it is interesting that the stage that involves putting change into action is 4th; indicative sometimes just how long it takes us as humans to put new behaviors into motion. John Fisher developed “The Process of Transition” in the 90’s but revised his theory in 2012. He identified that the reason humans have difficulty with change is due to feelings like anxiety, anger, fear, denial, guilt, depression and others.

At Community LINC, we help our program participants work through the challenges associated with change and transition.  Through counseling and coaching meetings, most program participants attribute their greatest barriers to change as fear of the unknown, not knowing what to expect or not knowing what will happen if change is made. Recently, I met with one of our program participants, Ms. Gretta who appeared to be at the stage of relapse.  During her weekly counseling meeting focusing on employment, I learned she was no longer actively seeking employment.  She shared frustrations of securing the interview with employers selecting other candidates over her.    We were able to see that our perception of the situation was having an impact on her sense of self (anxiety and fear).  This small impact had rapidly dropped her self-confidence and negative self-image leaving her not knowing which way to turn – Who am I?  In any behavior change, relapses are common occurrences.  A person’s stage of change is used to decide which strategies are most appropriate to promote or maintain change.  We took the opportunity to reassess a new plan of action and resources to set realistic goals that would match her interest and skills.   This allowed us to go a step further to ensure sustainable success by making contingency plans to cope with difficult situation. 

Applying Prochaska’s stages of change model combined with Fishers process of transition to our residents at Community LINC is vital to understanding their readiness to make change, appreciating barriers to change, and helping them anticipate relapse.  At Community LINC, our programs focus on making sure that each program participant learns valuable skills by working through challenges, celebrating successes, and to gain invaluable skills necessary for maintaining self-sufficiency.  

We hope that when each program participant leaves the program they can each leave by saying, “I still have a long way to go but I’m already so far from where I used to be and proud of the change.” 

Children Matters: Mindful Presence

By Children’s Program Coordinator Josh Chittum

For the purposes of this blog I’m always scanning my surroundings for stories. Sometimes it’s a struggle for me to find them. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I can’t. Personal eccentricities can obscure the eye. Other times I see it as valuable to recognize the reality of our residents. To accept where they are in their story as opposed to me trying to shoehorn them into three succinct acts.

The following is a sampling of dialogue I’ve heard spoken from residents in the last two weeks. From these lines, if we stop and listen and are present, we can infer where they are within their personal narrative.

“The teacher is worried that the problems are more than just speech,” said the Mother of the three year old who is falling behind his peers developmentally.

“The world is full of idiots who need to get their (expletive) together,” said the teenager whose father is not living at home anymore and is trying to rebound from slipping grades at school.

“Sometimes when I’m mad at myself I bang my head against the wall and tell myself I’m stupid,” said the articulate and kind 2nd grader who is having behavior issues at school.

“He can’t see his Dad because I filed a restraining order against him,” said the single Mother of three children.  

“I’m worried I might get jumped tomorrow, but I can’t tell anyone at school about it,” said the high school sophomore.

“We weren’t in program last night because his Dad went to jail,” said the Mother of a child with special needs when asked if everything was okay.

Again, this is just a sampling. Over the next several weeks I will hear different words spoken from different residents, but the emotions and thoughts will stay similar. Words of stress. The emotion of pain. Thoughts of fear. As time progresses some of the residents quoted above will transition to new stages of acceptance or to stages of resolution. Some of the residents will find new crises at the door. Others will remain where they currently are.

But as we work towards helping families find permanent housing, one of the most poignant, effective, and powerful things we can do is walk beside them no matter what stage of change they’re in, no matter how far away from resolution they find themselves. The reality is that this doesn’t always provide us with a natural place to roll the credits, but it does provide us with an opportunity to be present.

In a frenetically paced world where the moment of now is often stomped on and trampled upon, I see tremendous value in this state of mindful presence. And while presence itself is hard to measure, I contend that it leads to successful measurable outcomes. May we continue to work with our residents in this mindfully present state as they wade through the difficulties before them. And may the safety and security of permanent housing allow former Community LINC residents find the present-ness of their lives containing less stress, less pain, and less fear.

 

Community LINC then and now

From CEO/Executive Director Laura Gray

Jobs Matter: A Dream Comes True

By Employment Services Job Coach Constance Taylor

It’s really exciting to see participants begin to interview when they start their job search. 

It’s even more exciting to see participants get more than one job offer, which is the case for Ms. G.

I knew she was a “go-getter” when she came over to the lab to complete online assessments when she was not feeling her best. After searching for almost three weeks, she actually had 3 opportunities all at same time. She has completed her physical and drug testing for a position that starts at $13.75 an hour. After 9 weeks of employment, she will be eligible for full benefits and her income increases to $16.00 an hour. Her exact words to me were, “a dream comes true”.

 

Our employment program works to eliminate barriers and present desirable applicants that are dependable, hard-working and committed to a work schedule. 

We partner with employers that are willing to hire candidates who are ready to move forward and become self- sufficient.  We want to thank them for their continued commitment and invite others to extend employment opportunities as we partner together to enhance success.

Housing Matters: Affordable Housing, It's a Necessity

By Housing Specialist II Shaunte’ Abernathy Cox

An estimated 12 million renters and homeowners pay more than 50 percent of their annual income for housing. A family with one full-time worker earning the minimum wage can’t afford the local fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States (HUD, 2015). 

However, at Community LINC, Sara, a 28 year old, mother of three, who entered the Interim Housing Program unemployed, is finding a way to beat the odds.  Within her first month of being in the program, she secured employment.  Her minimum wage job, combined with the money she receives for child support, has allowed her to start the process to transition to permanent housing. 

During her time at Community LINC, she’s been able to establish a financial safety net, which will help decrease her chances of cycling back into homelessness.  Through the direct assistance funds we receive, we will be able to eliminate some of Sara’s barriers by paying her outstanding utility debt. 

In addition, she was able to connect with a private landlord to secure housing with cable, water, trash and sewer fees all included in the rent.  The only utility Sara will be responsible for is electricity. 

In a couple of weeks, she will leave Community LINC with a job, money in a savings account, a budget, a furniture voucher, restored confidence in herself and most importantly, HOUSING! 

By all accounts, Sara succeeded. She participated in services at multiple levels and utilized the tools she received from each area to help her succeed.  However, without the availability of private, affordable housing, things could have been a lot different for Sara.  For example, the average wait for Public Housing in Kansas City is 1-3 years while the average wait for Section 8 is 3-5 years.  Furthermore, the wait for many low-income tax credit properties in Kansas City is 12-18 months. 

Establishing partnerships with private landlords is critical when it comes to helping our clients transition.  It ultimately boils down to education…taking the time to explain to landlords who we are, what we do, who we serve and why our clients should be given a second chance at housing. 

It’s a never-ending task, but I’m up for the challenge and I hope you will join me as we work together to Educate & Celebrate! 

Source:  The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development

www.portal.hud.gov (Who Needs Affordable Housing), 2015

*Low-income tax credit properties are indirect Federal subsidy used to finance the development of affordable rental housing for low-income households (HUD, 2015)

**The client’s name was changed to protect her identity.

Children Matter: The Impactful Christmas Present

By Children’s Program Coordinator, Josh Chittum

Many toothy grins spread across the faces of children staying at Community LINC over the holidays due to generous donors dropping off bag after bag of wrapped Christmas presents. The gifts gave birth to palpable excitement for our youngest residents, who remind me every day that they are not homeless children, but children. What child doesn’t go wild with glee when they see handfuls of presents brought into their living space?

Perhaps one of the most impactful Christmas gifts that not just current, but future residents received this holiday season, however, didn’t come in a wrapped package that fit underneath a tree. It came in the form of a monetary donation from a fantastic Community LINC supporter and the company she works for.

This donation will allow Community LINC to purchase a developmental screening tool called the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. The tool will identify the developmental and emotional strengths of our children from birth to age 5 ½ as well as areas in which they need to grow.

With this tool we can now provide data to Melanie about her 10-month old son, Trevor, who has not received enough tummy time and struggles with gross motor movement. Melanie is not a bad parent. She needs someone to partner with her to provide the best environment for her child whom she absolutely adores and loves. 

The tool will also provide strategies that Sheryl can use in the home to help her four year old son improve his language acquisition because he is currently behind his peers. And it creates the internal infrastructure for Children’s Program staff to refer parents to a specialist for children like Mikey who struggles to control his emotions on program night and soothes himself in developmentally inappropriate ways.

This tool will ultimately have lifelong impacts on many, many families that stay at Community LINC. It will provide parents with knowledge they may not have otherwise received. It will give parents strategies they can use when they exit into permanent housing. And it will help provide a strong foundation for children to grow and develop in a healthy way.

The books, the clothes, and the games given over the holidays were wonderful and greatly appreciated. I do not aim to take anything away from that generosity when I express how excited I am that Children’s Program received the donation to purchase this screening tool. It is a present that will continue to give next Christmas and beyond. That type of impact is what we hope to have on all of our residents, no matter their age.