 |
Beloit holds first family support retreat weekend
Ames, Iowa – It’s not easy being the family of a child in residential treatment. There can be public stigma, marital strain and sometimes financial pressure with the cost of treatment or medication. At Lutheran Services in Iowa’s (LSI) Beloit Residential Treatment Center in Ames, children from all over the state receive long-term treatment. Lack of transportation can be a barrier that keeps many families from engaging in their child’s treatment, and parents can feel alone.
The Beloit campus took a major step this July to show support to its families during its inaugural family support retreat weekend.
“When families are involved, it helps to achieve shorter lengths of stay for kids,” said Belinda Meis, director of Beloit Residential Services. “Families left our weekend with real tools they can use at home for parenting and stress relief and with a new support network of other parents. We’re excited to continue building on this success and making this kind of intensive support a permanent part of our program.”
Beloit is a state-licensed, 24-hour PMIC (Psychiatric Medical Institution for Children) and RTS (Rehabilitative Treatment Services) provider for children ages 5 to 13. Beloit will celebrate its 60th anniversary in October of serving Iowa children from its present location in central Iowa.
“The children we work with have serious emotional or behavioral issues, sometimes because of past trauma from abuse and neglect,” Meis explained. “It’s important we help parents develop the right skill sets and help them understand a child’s diagnosis so they can help their child be healthy and successful in a home setting.”
Hosting a family weekend has been the dream of LSI staff for a long time, said Amy Lavallee. The weekend was designed by Lavallee and Mandi Hillman, both LSI therapists. Beloit holds other types of family engagement activities throughout the year, but this was the first support retreat.
“Families walked away with a greater understanding of the dynamics of their children,” said Lavallee. “They saw how families can heal each other.”
From a Friday night to Sunday afternoon, parents and guardians were immersed in training on trauma, treatment and child behaviors. They participated in reflection groups, journaling and goal setting. In the Beloit gym, families walked through a labyrinth, donated by a community member, for a time of purposeful reflection.
While the focus was on the parents, it was also a special weekend for the children – their families made breakfast for them Saturday morning and tucked them into bed each night. Family fun nights modeled creative ways families could play together without electronics.
“We ultimately wanted families to walk away with three things,” said Lavallee. “To find support from each other and our campus, to develop resiliency and to learn something new about themselves and their families.”
Shawn and Kim Wiederin from western Iowa attended the weekend for their 11-year-old daughter who lives at Beloit. Kim Wiederin said she has already formed a close friendship with another mother she met.
“We all just really bonded,” she said. “I appreciated talking with other parents and knowing that we are not alone. We share the same stresses, the same issues at home.”
At the end of the weekend, parents initiated the idea to exchange contact information and have already been in touch to provide each other with support.
“It was beneficial for everyone – we’re all in the same boat, working toward the same things with the best intentions for the kids,” Wiederin said. “If asked, I would go again in a heartbeat.”
LSI is known for innovative approaches to mental health and child welfare issues, and this project started as many other innovations have – identifying a need and creatively finding the resources to fill that need.
LSI impacts the lives of tens of thousands of Iowans annually through residential treatment, services to families, home health care, early childhood programs, adoption/foster care services, refugee resettlement, services for people with disabilities, disaster response initiatives and Barnabas Uplift. LSI serves people of all ages, genders, nationalities, religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations and is affiliated with Lutheran Services in America and three Iowa synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. To learn more, visit www.lsiowa.org.
<< Back |
|
 |
|
