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Program Offers Help in Divorces: Children, Adults Offered Support
By Sandy Marwick
Eagle Focus Editor

With a divorce rate of more than 50 percent in the nation, splintered families are not uncommon. But according to Nancy McKee, director of family services at Butler Memorial Hospital, the trauma involved is no less valid.

“Divorce is a major life event,” she said, explaining life changes of that magnitude still leave people struggling to navigate day-to-day tasks.

“We’re finding out that services that used to meet families’ needs are not meeting needs currently.”

For that reason, McKee and other professionals at BMH and Lifesteps have launched Families Forever, a program that offers education and support for children and adults during divorce and separation.

The program was formed with the aid of the Butler Collaborative for Families, a council of businesses and nonprofit service groups.

The new program is a hybrid of Changing Families, previously offered for children by BMH, and Parents Forever, previously offered for adults by Lifesteps.

Led by mental health professionals, the sessions are designed to “help adults succeed and help children learn that they are not alone,” McKee explained.

The adult sessions deal with divorce and custody issues that don’t put children in the middle, she said. “If parents can understand more than the child, research says they do better.”

Jeannine Irwin, director of family services at Lifesteps, said the curriculum for the new adult program mirrors the previous program, but the seminars are condensed into one session instead of spread over two, as with the previous version.

The new four-hour program offers concurrent sessions for adults and children, easing the logistics sometimes involved with childcare and transportation.

Unlike the previous programs, free childcare is now being offered for those younger than 5.

The children’s portion of the new program has also been adapted to the four-hour time frame, replacing the previous weekly sessions that happened over a course of 10 weeks.

“The first session we had seven children and about 20 adults,” McKee said of the new program, which began Sept. 12. The program was publicized primarily through mailings to schools, churches, doctors, attorneys and community service agencies.

Funds to promote the new program came from a $6,500 grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Children’s programs in their previous 10-week form drew fewer than 10 children each time, with two such programs offered annually. Based on the first Families Forever session last month, it seems likely more children will be helped each year—fulfilling a goal of the revision, McKee said.

To make the sessions accessible to a wider range of families, Family First will also alternate locations each month, holding sessions at Lifesteps on New Castle Road in Butler Township and at the Family First Resource Center on North Washington Street.

Session days will also alternate between Saturdays and weeknights.

As the program evolves, administrators said they will alter meeting times and other aspects of the program based on input from participants.

Brijette Morris, outpatient therapist with Family Services at BMH, said youths so far seem to thrive in the support environment. “We do an evaluation and we got a lot of positive feedback,” Morris noted, describing how the youths settled into journaling in groups and other activities. “Realizing they’re not alone in their feelings is really helpful for kids.”

Children in the last group also inquired about the possibility of future programs for teens, she said.

The program is currently offered for children in grades one through six, but special arrangements can sometimes be made for other ages, Irwin said.

As well as aiding children and parents undergoing changes, McKee said the sessions are designed to benefit grandparents and other family members concerned about divorce, separation or custody changes.

Although there is no charge for youths to attend the program, a $50 fee is set for adults. However, a fee waiver is available for those who qualify.

The next Families Forever session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Family First Resource Center, 216 N. Washington St.

To enroll, call 724-283-1010 or 888-225-2010.

This article appeared in the October 5, 2005 issue of the Butler Eagle.