The social work team at The Family Center helps families cope with the stresses of a serious parental illness. We help parents and caregivers at every stage of the process: deciding how or when to inform their children of their health status, identifying prospective caregivers for their children and developing custody plans that respect everyone's wishes. Throughout this process, we also provide comfort and assistance and offer mental health counseling for individuals and families.

1. Mental Health Services: Mental health is critical in ensuring stability within families, especially when that family is affected by a life-threatening illness. TFC offers various forms of counseling to suit the respective needs of our families: Family Counseling, Individual Counseling, and Play Therapy.

2. Family Resolutions: Sometimes families require intervention by a neutral third party in order to effectively communicate, prioritize issues and work through conflicting emotions.

3. Case Management: We help a family assess their needs and provide services according to those needs. This includes making referrals and empowering families by giving them the information and tools necessary to navigate and negotiate systems such as health care, entitlements, school, etc.

4. Permanency Planning: This process involves parents developing a viable custody plan for their children in case they are not able to care for them. The plan takes into consideration the needs of the children, the appropriateness of the caregiver, legal considerations, and parents' wishes.

Click here to see the Group Schedule for Fall 2008!