When Life’s a Struggle, TLC’s Counseling Center Works to Keep Parents and Families in Balance

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Image via The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth.

Families often find themselves overwhelmed by tough situations without the life skills they need to help them cope.

That’s why The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth (TLC) teamed up with Montgomery County’s Office of Children and Youth to create its Community Counseling Center.

TLC’s Community Counseling Center provides counseling services to individuals and families looking for support and guidance as they strive to retake control of their lives.

The Counseling Center offers Montgomery County residents five life skill services: substance abuse education, family strengthening, home organization case management, and DUI intervention services.

A little history

The Counseling Center is an outgrowth of the Family Resource Center, established in 1978 through a grant from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Its goal was to counsel at-risk individuals and families experiencing high levels of stress or suffering from abuse.

From that beginning, TLC created a single parent program offering group education and counseling services, which has evolved into what is now the Community Counseling Center.

Community Counseling Center goals

The Counseling Center’s ultimate goal is to strengthen families, ensuring that children have good quality care while helping individuals struggling with substance abuse achieve mental well-being.

Counselors can help clients develop nurturing skills with their children, create safe home environments and even adopt relapse prevention plans.

Through a variety of programs, TLC aims to improve the overall health of individuals, mitigate the effects of trauma and victimization, promote growth within the family and stimulate community wellness.

Life skill services are offered for:

  • Substance Abuse Education. For parents who struggle with substance abuse, TLC counselors can guide them to abstain from drugs and alcohol, make healthier choices and adopt a relapse prevention plan. The counselors also connect parents to substance abuse resources, help them enter treatment facilities, and monitor their progress.
  • Family Strengthening. Using evidence-based activities, parents are taught how to interact appropriately with their children during various levels of the child’s development. Counselors also work with parents to determine their level of empathy, teaching them nurturing skills and coaching them on how to effectively respond to the psychological needs of their children.
  • Home Organization. Counselors work with parents on improving the cleanliness and home environment for their children. Parents receive guidance on completing chores, sharing responsibilities with family members, organizing personal belongings, and purchasing goods more effectively.
  • Case Management. For parents whose children are at risk of being taken out of their care, TLC counselors help them explore their home environment to determine the overall needs of the family and how to improve the lives of their children. Counselors are also available to go with clients on dentist and doctor visits, help them if they are diagnosed with medical conditions, and assist with complete helpful duties, such as budgeting and housing responsibilities.
  • DUI Intervention Services. The Community Counseling Center provides confidential DUI intervention services for those who have experienced a first-time DUI offense. Using evidence-based motivational interviewing, the intervention hopes to inspire a capacity to change while encouraging healthier life choices.

To find out more about The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth and its Community Counseling Center, click here.

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