Licensed Professional Counselor, Diana Lleras gives her perspective on emotional health from the communities she serves. She also shares ways to identify unwanted emotions in family members and how you can create an environment that keeps you in an emotionally healthy place.
We continue our discussion with Licensed Professional therapist Osei Harvey. Osei shares how to take care of your personal well-being as you shelter in place.
The challenge of parenthood is to equip and empower your children for their next step in the journey of life. For foster parents, the challenge is the same but often within only a brief moment of time. As a foster parent, you have minimal control of your foster child’s next step of the journey, so you simply love them the best you can and then hope and pray it is enough.
This quote is from a foster parent my wife and I have the joy of working alongside. Neal and his wife, Jane, are my inspiration. As foster parents over 30 years, they have held and let go of literally hundreds of children in their care. Many of these children were medically fragile or drug-impacted. Most stayed for only a short window of time (often 6 months to a year) and, because of their age, they may not remember the love and care given to them in their early years.
Theirs is the story of so many foster parents, those who act not for self but for others. Parents that rise to the need of the community around them.
Two years ago, when our family set out on the journey of fostering, we were lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible people like Neal and Jane. People who loved unconditionally, knew the challenges we would face, and supported each other through the tough times.
I’m going to be honest with you: fostering is tough. It’s filled with broken people working within a broken system that often leads to uncontrollable outcomes. It’s frustrating. It’s sad. And yet, it is filled with some of the most amazing individuals and families.
These are people who are examples of how civil society meets felt need. People who care for the most fragile, not out of some external compelling force, but out of compassion.
As we focus this May on National Foster Care Month, let us look to people like Neal and Jane. People who give large chunks of their life to support people for merely a moment in time. Moments in time that lead to a life changed and instilled with opportunity and hope for a lifetime.
Part 1 of our discussion with Licensed Professional therapist Osei Harvey. Osei shares how you can identify where you are from a mental health standpoint.
Keeping your mind in good health is as important as keeping your physical body in shape. GCO’s own Joyce Mayberry and Katherine Greene join us to discuss tips on how you can identify poor mental wellness and how to address it.
Bring the family together and create priceless memories and meaningful input from all family members. Fellow community partner: Strengthen Families Program, Certified Trainer P’Angela Jones is joined by her husband Darryl and the entire Jones family to demonstrate.
