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SUMMER
NEWSLETTER
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June 2019

 

We hope you are enjoying the summertime!  Playing outside, swimming, grilling out, and fireworks fill us with joy this time of year.  It's a time to savor and relax before the busyness of the school year starts again.  
 
Summer is a time of planning and preparation at CFGC as we review our programs and services as well as prepare for our annual signature fundraiser -  the Starfish Benefit on September 7th.  I hope you will join us!

Here art CFGC, we are extremely privileged to help hurting Texoma children and families heal, recover, and move forward with their lives. I am proud of CFGC's commitment to delivering Trauma Informed Care to our vulnerable clients and I am excited to share a new trauma treatment framework with you in this newsletter.   
 
Please take a few minutes to catch up with us!
 
With Gratitude,
 
Brenda Hayward
Executive Director
Child & Family Guidance Center of Texoma



6 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health This Summer
Elizabeth Wiener and Lisa Brookman

So many of us count down the days until the warmth and relaxation of summer arrives. It's an exciting time filled with long sunny days, new adventures and a less formal routine. But for some, especially those who struggle with anxiety, the summer months can trigger feelings of being overwhelmed and losing control. A more flexible work schedule, an abundance of social activities and the expectation of being carefree can put a lot of pressure on a racing mind.

1) Get Moving
Exercise has long been known as a great way to defuse anxiety. Enjoying the warm weather, soaking up the sunshine and hitting the pavement is a winning combination to calm a racing mind. Get a pool membership, find a great bike trail, go for regular hikes or take part in an outdoor boot camp to get those endorphins pumping while you enjoy a healthy dose of vitamin D.


 
CFGC Clinical Director 
Awarded 2019 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award

We are so proud of our Clinical Director, Tiffany Dancer, for receiving the 2019 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award!
 
The ATHENA Leadership Award Program is administered by ATHENA International, a non-profit women's leadership organization, along with licensed host organizations and sponsors. Over 6,000 awards have been presented in the U.S. and around the world since the program's inception in 1982. 
 
ATHENA Young Professional Leadership nominees are emerging women leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community; and clearly serve as role models for young women both personally and professionally.

Congratulations, Tiffany!


I ntroducing the Newest CFGC Team Member,  HopeAnda the Panda!


CFGC is excited to announce the arrival of its newest team member and official mascot, HopeAnda the Panda! HopeAnda is here to bring joy, comfort, and hope to those who walk through the doors of CFGC. She acts as a cheerleader for the amazing CFGC staff and she is CFGC's Ambassador of Hope within the community. You never know where you'll see her next in Texomaland! 

You can follow all of HopeAnda's adventures with CFGC on her Instagram!  Click here  or search for @CFGC.HopeAnda to follow her! 



ARC Trauma Treatment:
A Transformative Approach to Changing Children's Lives for Good ...
 
When kids are faced with overwhelming stress and childhood adversity day after day, they adapt to their environment. Their behavior and attention problems may prompt their arrival in treatment, but when you start to dig deeper into their lives, you find these kids are simply stuck in survival mode - the hallmark of complex developmental trauma.

Where do you go from here?
Co-developed by Dr. Margaret Blaustein,  ARC (Attachment, Regulation, and Competency) is a framework that is clinically proven to enhance trauma treatment with children and adolescents,  and has been hailed as "a landmark for understanding and treating traumatized children" by world renowned trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.
 
There is a growing body of research highlighting the benefits of ARC when working with trauma-impacted youth.  The ARC framework has been implemented in approximately 300 agencies and programs across the United States and internationally. 
 
ARC's ultimate goal is support children, adolescents, and caregivers in effective engagement in the world, in a manner that is  empowered  and  future-oriented  , rather than focused on survival.
 
As CFGC continues to strengthen our agency by providing evidenced based Trauma Informed Care, we are pleased to announce  that our clinical team is currently immersed in an  8 week  comprehensive ARC training program where they will learn to apply  ARC's sequential, developmentally appropriate framework to address trauma with  both the child and caregiver system,  to create a supportive environment for healthy development, and  healing of complex trauma.
 

Sources:



 
Presented By
Bob Utter Ford Lincoln & Blake Utter Ford
and
Red River Title Company

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 7  and get ready to celebrate the healing work of CFGC made possible by YOU!  
 
Immerse yourself in a relaxed atmosphere with live piano music, delectable food, sweet desserts, and libations. You'll enjoy an exciting live auction, unique silent auction packages, a Winner's Choice Raffle, and so much more! 

Make a difference while having fun!
  Click here for sponsorship opportunities and reservations to the event before they're all gone!
2018 Starfish Benefit Highlight Video
2018 Highlight Video



Why We Ask YOU to Stand With Us...
Amy's Story
as written by her therapist

Amy is a seven-year-old little girl with long brown hair and brown eyes. She was  referred to the Child & Family Guidance Center of Texoma because of a break-in at  her home, in which her mother was critically injured. When Amy got out of bed to see why her mother was screaming, she was told to leave the room. At that time, she recognized the voice of her mother's attacker. Amy's mother was violently raped and beaten. Amy later helped her mother to a neighbor's house. The attack was reported to the authorities.

When Amy first came to the Center, she was experiencing nightmares about the  attack, and she was exhibiting much inappropriate behavior such as throwing "fits", kicking, screaming, stomping and she was very defiant. Also, Amy was very afraid to be out of her mother's presence. At home, Amy would not play outside with her friends. At the Center Amy was unable to be in a play therapy room without her mother.

The therapist who worked with Amy provided a safe, nurturing environment for her, in which she could begin to experience healing and mastery over the events that had occurred in her life. Amy used play therapy to create a safe environment for herself, and the therapist helped her identify and appropriately express her many feelings about the violent episode. She created a picture collage which revealed sadness and worry, especially regarding her mother. The therapist gave Amy a tiny "worry doll" to whom she could tell her fears and worries. The "worry doll" then symbolically "worried" so that Amy didn't have to do so as often. Also, Amy created a metaphor describing what had happened in her home by using sand tray therapy.

When Amy began therapy, she insisted that her mother be in the room at all times and the door remain open. As therapy progressed, Amy was able to stay in the therapy room alone, so long as her mother stood in the hall and put her hand on the door so that Amy could see her. As therapy progressed, Amy became comfortable in the therapy room with the door closed, and she no longer required the presence of her mother during her sessions.

Amy was eventually able to testify in open court about the violent incident. She  identified her attacker who was found guilty of the charges levied against him.



CFGC Associate Therapist 
Receives LPC License



Congratulations to Stormy Malone for finishing her internship with CFGC in April and becoming a fully Licensed Professional Counselor.  In August, she will go on to attend Wichita State University for the Community Psychology PhD program. Her ultimate goal is to work on the prevention of mental health concerns by working to change environmental and community level factors that influence mental health. 

Way to go, Stormy! We are so proud of you!




North Texas Giving Day is coming this September! 

Stay tuned for more information on how YOU can help CFGC continue to provide help, hope, and healing to children and families in need. 

Communities Foundation of Texas' North Texas Giving Day is an 18-hour online giving event designed to empower every person to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about in one easy-to-use platform.



Happy Thoughts

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"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." 

-Audrey Hepburn