Jamie’s* mom was on drugs. When he was born, Jamie had to quickly be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to eliminate the drugs he acquired from his mom. His dad was
incarcerated. Jamie lived with his family in a run-down trailer. His difficult, young life included physical abuse and neglect. Jamie was only 8 years old when he arrived at Youth Haven. (*name changed for privacy)
17-year-old Eduardo was struggling in and out of school. His parents were not part of his life and his siblings lived out of state. A godmother tried to help him. He felt isolated and alone, with no real hope for the future. His school principal referred him to Youth Haven.
Understanding and assessing the types and depth of the traumas Jamie, Eduardo and all of the children at Youth Haven have undergone provides critical insight into the custom care and therapies they receive at Youth Haven.
“We are seeing an unprecedented number of children and teens coming from toxic situations of abuse and neglect, suffering with significant mental and physical health.” — Kelly Starke, MS, Vice President of Programming
Youth Haven is committed to providing the highest level of trauma-informed, research-supported care and therapy to help our children and teens truly heal. Every child and teen housed at Youth Haven is now receiving a baseline assessment. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) assessment provides guidance on the therapies and services to reduce current and long-term mental and physical health problems resulting from trauma.
The 10 ACEs we screen for at Youth Haven:
ABUSE
- Physical
- Emotional
- Sexual
NEGLECT
- Physical
- Emotional
- Household Dysfunction
VIOLENCE IN THE HOME
- Incarcerated caregiver/parent
- Parent/caregiver substance use
- Parents separated or divorced
- Parent/caregiver mental illness
As a result, these fragile and traumatized children and teens require a combination of traditional and holistic therapies which are available through Youth Haven’s comprehensive programs. Our therapist, Jama Thurman is now providing quarterly functional assessments for all residents to identify issues and concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems.
“Progress toward healing also involves therapies such as animal-assisted, yoga, improv, art, music, as well as healthy meals, and enrichment activities, including holiday celebrations, and fun excursions to local events. These all help bring normalcy to children’s lives.” — Jama Thurman, MA, LMHC, Therapist
The entire Youth Haven team is trained for their roles to serve as advocates for children and teens. Along with professionally trained counselors, they play a critical part in the healing process, building trust and meeting the emotional and physical needs of every child.
With community and donor support, an additional therapist is being recruited to expand individual and group therapy programs to address the at-risk children served by Youth Haven programs.
We encourage you to support these critical programs to stabilize, nurture and transform these traumatized and hurt children and teens into productive, well-adjusted adults. Make a gift today to help us expand counseling services and create more ways to bring normalcy to children on their journey to a better life.
To make a donation to help transform lives, please click HERE.
With Gratitude,
CEO