Family Support Executive Summary

The family was referred for counseling services through the Staten Island Family Justice Center (SIFJC) in July 2016 as a direct result of their exposure to domestic violence. The family was subjected to physical and emotional abuse. The client was 7 years old at the time. Client’s mother was receiving services from an on site partner in the Family Justice Center and recognized emotional regulation problems of her child. This agency sent a referral to Steps to End Family Violence requesting counseling services for mother’s daughter. The client presented several trauma symptoms common in domestic violence survivors. These symptoms included difficulty concentrating, nervousness, worry, fear, difficulty sleeping, nightmares, anxiety, mood swings,

Since the client is between the ages of 7 and 18, the client receives individual counseling. The plan includes family support sessions that involve child parent collaborations. STEPS recognizes how important it is to provide psychoeducation around the trauma to parents as they have the greatest exposure to the child and their progress. The third item of the service plan involves advocacy for the family. The social worker provides advocacy in the following ways: she aids communication between the child, parent, and attorney when involving visitation with the abuser, through ACS involvement, with the guidance counselor as the child is involved in a group at school, and with legal advocacy as mother applies for

There, I specifically work with the STEPS to End Family Violence program which is a part of Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families. STEPS to End Family Violence provides childcare for those whose parents need to engage with a case manager, lawyer, counselor, or attend to a court visit. Childcare consists of engagement through arts and crafts, games, homework, or monthly activities while assessing for child safety. STEPS to End Family Violence provides counseling services that provide trauma informed treatment in a safe and supportive environment. STEPS realizes that every client is different so although survivors of Domestic violence have similar symptoms and struggles, the client’s goals and treatment plan are person centered as the client highlights their needs and what they want addressed. Depending on age, clients are served with either child parent psychotherapy or individual counseling with parent support sessions. For example, children from 0-5 years of age can part take in child- parent psychotherapy which is focused on strengthening the bond between mother and child. For a child age of 6, the social worker or mental health counselor can decide based on maturity level whether to engage the child in child- parent psychotherapy or individual counseling with parent support sessions. For a child between the ages of 7- 18, the social worker or mental health counselor engages the client through individual