Turning Point Program gets new director
By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-HeraldGLOVERSVILLE - The new director of the Turning Point Program is looking for volunteers to help reunite families.
Carol Beaudin, the director of the program at the Family Counseling Center, said more individuals and couples are needed to become host parents and work with children who have a diagnosed mental illness.
"I see an incredible need in our community for this [program]," she said.
Beaudin accepted the position as director of the Turning Point Program last month. She had started working at the Family Counseling Center as a clinical therapist in March.
However, her whole career has been spent doing social work.
Before coming to the Family Counseling Center, Beaudin worked as the program coordinator for Northeast Parent and Child Society's Intensive Aftercare Prevention Program. She worked at Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services for six years, and was a program coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters in St. Louis.
Beaudin has two degrees in social work as well - a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri and a master's degree from the University of New Hampshire.
"Social work is all about helping the community," she said. "One way to do that is by helping children."
The Turning Point Program helps children ages 5 to 18 who are having difficulty getting along with family members, coping with symptoms of mental illness or are struggling in school.
Sharlene Carpenter, the family recruiter and trainer for the program, said all the children in the program have been diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression, bi-polar disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The children and their families involved in the program have sought help elsewhere and are trying the program, in some cases, as a last resort before hospitalization, she said.
Beaudin said what is unique about the Turning Point Program is that it involves the child, the child's family, the host family and the program staff in making decisions.
In many similar programs, the child's family is not part of the decision-making process, she said. The child's family still retains custody and can visit on the weekends.
"The host family is just a supplement to the [child's] family," Beaudin said. "The host family provides rules and boundaries the child might not get at home."
There are goals the children are supposed to meet as a way to gauge their progress. They range from improving their social skills and accepting responsibility for their actions to improving their hygiene.
The child's family also is given goals which can include understanding how to set and maintain household rules, and how the child's mental health diagnosis will affect them.
Kim is a parent whose daughter, Trindalynn, and sons are in the Turning Point Program. The children suffered from abuse inflicted by another family member, Kim said.
The Leader-Herald is not running the family's last name at the request of the Turning Point Program.
Trindalynn, 14, was just 6 years old when she entered the program. She recalled screaming all of the time, hitting and biting other people. She even stabbed a friend with a pencil one day while at school.
"I have made a lot of progress," she said. "I have met many of my goals."
Beaudin said while the program is certified to handle 20 children, there are only 18 in the program right now despite the fact there are about six children on a waiting list.
The reason those kids are waiting is because an appropriate host family has not been found, Beaudin explained.
Carpenter said the host families and the children are matched up based on a number of criteria. The number of siblings, pets, location, marital status of the host family, are just some of the factors taken into account before a child is matched with a family.
"We try to match up the family, as close as possible, to the child's own to make them feel more comfortable," she said.
To get more children into the program, more host parents are needed, she said.
Kelly (last name withheld) and her family have been working as a host family for the Turning Point Program for about four years. They are now working with Kim's two sons, Cody and Christopher.
While the family initially was involved with solely providing respite services for other host families, they soon began to look after children of their own full time.
"It is nice to help out other families," she said. "It can be rewarding to see a child bloom if they have been withdrawn."
With three children of her own, Kelly said the family's days can be busy. However, she grew up in a large family and likes it that way.
One of the things she has learned from working in the program is how important an extended family can be for people.
"Years ago, people had grandparents, aunts and uncles to rely on," Kelly said. "But many people do not have those relatives they can rely on."
Beaudin noted that since 2000, there have been 85 admissions to the program. Since that time, 68 percent of the children in the program have been able to return to their parents. Another 15 percent turned 18 years old while in the program and were allowed to live on their own when they left the program. The other 17 percent have all needed further treatment in a residency program, such as the Lexington Center, or had to be hospitalized.
Carpenter said the goal of reuniting children with their family is a necessary one.
"Most children want to be with their family," she said.
For more information about the Turning Point Program, call 725-4310, Ext. 106.
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Griffin
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07-16-08 8:17 AM
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Great Job carol, We are please to have you with us.
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theoneandonly
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07-05-08 7:23 PM
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Congratulations Carol!!
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