2024 Quarterly Impact Report
Center for Child Counseling is proud to close another remarkable year of advancing our mission to support children, families, and communities. This year’s achievements are a testament to the transformative impact we’re creating together. Inside this report, you’ll discover powerful stories of resilience, the measurable difference we’re making for those we serve, and the vital role our trusted partners play in driving this change. Thank you for being part of this journey to build brighter, healthier futures!
The Power of HOPE
Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences We have adopted a new approach to tackling the mental health crisis and supporting children and families. HOPE framework, at the heart of our work, allows us to continue to fight ACEs by promoting Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences, expanding our reach, and enhancing our public health approach that places equity, healing, and resilience at the forefront.
Strategic Planning We launched our new strategic plan (2025-2028) focusing on trauma-informed care, equity, and the integration of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and the HOPE framework into its public health approach. Our team is committed to evidence-based practices and a proactive approach to addressing the root causes of childhood adversity. Financial Impact: Record-breaking year! We soared past expectations, increasing revenue from $6.7 million to $7.9 million last fiscal year! This success is setting us up for a more fruitful year ahead.
Nonprofit Innovation Award We are honored to have received the Nonprofit Innovation Award at the 8th Annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards for our groundbreaking Data Dashboard, an innovative tool addressing the youth mental health crisis in Palm Beach County. This award highlights our commitment to prevention, early intervention, and treatment through a public health approach, ensuring families receive the support they need without delay. Serving over 7,500 children annually, our Data Dashboard empowers the agency to tackle issues like behavioral concerns, family conflict, and anxiety, driving impactful change across the community.
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Celebrate Babies Our "Celebrate Babies: Better from Birth" event with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris drew hundreds of attendees, emphasizing our commitment to raising awareness about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). This event has spurred more discussions and ignited new partnerships for the organization. We are looking forward to furthering the discussion on Adverse Childhood Experiences with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris—mark your calendar for February 28, 2025! CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS.
Gratitude Gathering Our Gratitude Gathering was a heartfelt evening celebrating champions of HOPE and honoring three extraordinary individuals whose work has profoundly impacted the lives of children and families in Palm Beach County. Justice Barbara Pariente received the Judge Ron Alvarez Resiliency Award, Julie Fisher Cummings was presented with the Child Protector Award, and Dr. Barbara Gerlock was honored with the Jane Robinson Child Advocacy Award. These remarkable honorees exemplify unwavering dedication to creating safe, supportive spaces and fostering HOPE for a brighter, healthier future. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our partners, donors, and supporters for their continued investment in our mission.
Upcoming Events Lead The Fight
with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris February 28,2025 Click here to learn more!
e h t d Lea t h g i F
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS. www.centerforchildcounseling.org/events
Staff Impact It’s an honor to celebrate our incredible team members and their well-deserved recognition! Noah Gordon, Senior Program Specialist on our Education and Prevention Services team, has been named a finalist for the 2024 Provider Staff of the Year by the Florida Juvenile Justice Association and the Florida Youth Foundation. This esteemed honor showcases Noah's exceptional dedication and her impactful contributions to our organization and the community. She will be celebrated at the 3rd Annual Champions of Hope Awards Luncheon during the Restoring Hope Training Summit in Orlando.
MEET SAM
A Story of Transformation Sam’s journey is one of remarkable transformation. Following a history of abuse, this 13-year-old found healing and empowerment in therapy. She was referred for therapy services due to history of abuse from mother’s boyfriend and placement with her aunt. By turning her past experiences into song lyrics, she processed her trauma and developed crucial coping skills. Today, Sam is a confident young woman, thriving in her aunt's care and free from self-harm thanks to the support she found at Center for Child Counseling.
Program Highlights Education and Prevention Services In October, our Education and Prevention Services Team started services at Holy Ground, focusing on key areas to enhance student support and community engagement. The team is conducting classroom observations to model positive relationships, helping to foster a supportive learning environment, and facilitating the Feelings and Coping Curriculum.
Stop Now and Plan (SNAP)
Intern Program
The Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) clinical groups are strengthening our families, with eight families participating in session 5 for boys and session 5 for the girls’ group. The team has noticed increased father involvement, with four dads actively attending the SNAP groups! The team is expanding the SNAP initiative into schools launching programs at Galaxy Elementary, Fuller Center, and Holy Grounds.
Our Bachelor and Master’s Level Interns are excited to be working with the working within the Childcare and Community Social Emotional Wellness (CCSEW) and Child and Family Center (CFC) programs. The interns contribute to the success of our programs and gain a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit their future careers.
Videos About Our Approach and Work Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse Sexual abuse is a public health crisis. All children deserve to grow up safe from abuse. CFCC's goal is to help adults who work or live with children to learn how to keep them safe through effective strategies that prevent abuse, build safety and communication skills, promote positive relationships and resilience, and identify risk early on. Sexual abuse and its long-term effects can be prevented through education. Stay KidSafe!™ is an online training designed to provide educators and students with the awareness and knowledge needed to prevent child sexual abuse. We are dedicated to transforming the lives of children, families, schools, and communities through effective prevention education that is easily accessible, offering reliable information developed by our team of child development and safety experts. We created beKidSafe.org to make it easy for ALL adults to become traumaaware and recognize and stop childhood trauma and abuse in its tracks. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO. A Way of Being with Children - Resources for Adults Who Work or Live with Children CEO Renée Layman explains the importance of the child-facing adult's ability to regulate and create safe, regulated relationships with our children in order to promote optimal resilience and well-being in children. The Center's "A Way of Being with Children" manual, workshops, tip sheets, and videos give adults who work or live with children the tools and strategies of how to do things differently in the moment with their child in order to nurture their wellbeing. It is a trauma-informed approach of what the adult does when a child is in front of them--the power to interact differently with a child and having the skills and knowledge to back it up. For more information or to access "A Way of Being with Children" resources, visit: www.centerforchildcounseling.org/awayofbeing. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO. Bailey's Story: How Trauma-Informed Care and Play Therapy Help an Adoptive Family Adoptive mother Bailey Hughes tells her story as a foster then adoptive family--the challenges faced and how the Center has helped them meet their children's needs. She explains the importance of trauma-informed care and the necessity for parents to have the tools to caretake for children who have gone through trauma. Center for Child Counseling gave them, as parents, the tools they needed and the necessary therapeutic services for their children to handle their past trauma. Through play therapy, Bailey's daughters were able to show what happened and what they had gone through, and for the first time Bailey was able to understand the children she had been raising and what was causing their behaviors. Bailey's story is one of hope--trauma is not the end all, be all. There are ways to work through and heal the effects of trauma and build healthy family relationships. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
Ace's Story: Overcoming Anxiety with Integrated Mental Health Services in Schools Parents Bethany and Eric Eliason share how their son Ace overcame heightened anxiety with support from Center for Child Counseling's school-based mental health services. A bright and driven perfectionist, Ace struggled with anxiety about grades and sports during the pandemic, impacting his daily life. Concerned, his parents connected with a CFCC therapist through his school. With weekly therapy sessions and collaborative support from teachers, staff, and parents, Ace developed coping skills to manage challenges confidently as he transitions to middle school. CFCC's partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County ensures elementary students like Ace have access to immediate mental health support, including therapy, consultation, and crisis intervention. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO. Fighting ACEs: Data to Action Framework Fights Youth Mental Health Crisis Since 2019, CFCC has been developing a Data Dashboard to address the youth mental health crisis in Palm Beach County. Using a data-driven, centralized intake process, each family is screened for mental health and behavioral concerns, as well as financial, housing, and hunger-related challenges. The data collected enables CFCC to design services that are responsive to caregiver needs, even in the absence of a formal diagnosis. Through the Data Dashboard, families with the highest needs can be triaged directly to treatment, bypassing long waitlists for care. Populated with data from the 7,000 children CFCC serves annually, the system identifies where these children are located within the county and highlights the issues they face. This geomapping technology is advancing the agency’s mission to better serve children and families in our community. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO. From ACEs to HOPE: Preventing and Healing the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma lies at the root of many societal challenges we face today. School violence, domestic abuse, child abuse, addiction, chronic diseases, depression, anxiety, and numerous other issues often stem from unaddressed early trauma and adversity. The Center for Child Counseling recognizes that our nation can no longer afford the mental and physical health crises caused by ACEs. In response, the Center is working to build community buffers that mitigate their impact. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are the antidote to ACEs. By fostering PCEs, we can make a meaningful difference and change the trajectory of a child's life, even in the face of adversity or trauma CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
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