27 May Growing Skills to Meet Growing Needs
“I was recently able to participate in a three day EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) training with teenagers and their caregivers. Knowing how to adapt trauma-focused interventions for youth and how to incorporate their caregivers in supportive ways is critical to the work we do.” Allie Roth, ReadyKids Youth Counselor
The ReadyKids waiting room welcomes dozens of kids and families every day. Kids and teens are then greeted by their counselor and led down the hall to a cozy office with comfortable seating, toys for every age, and messages reminding them that all of their feelings are welcome here. ReadyKids counselors see kids as young as two, up to age 18, who have experienced trauma. Their work is highly specialized, with credentials including Animal Assisted Play Therapy, Playful EMDR, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
A ReadyKids Counseling Office (Photo credit: Kori Price/Charlottesville Tomorrow)
Our counselors continue to see an increase in complex trauma cases, meaning these participants may receive services for longer periods of time and need more specialized treatment. This is one reason why continuing education is such an important aspect of being a therapist. Thanks to support from our funders, ReadyKids is able to provide professional development funds to all staff. Our counselors use these funds to attend trainings that expand their skill set and equip them with the tools they need to best support their clients.
ReadyKids counselor Emily Loranger recently completed level two of an Animal Assisted Play Therapy training with her service dog, William.
“William’s favorite interventions tend to focus on clicker training, hide and find, and relationship building. These help kids practice skills including executive functioning, coping skills, impulse control and pro-social skills, and empathy and connection, which are key components to helping participants heal from trauma.”
William and his owner Emily (left) during an Animal Assisted Play Therapy training session
We are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis – kids need access to affordable, quality care. ReadyKids provides youth trauma counseling services at no cost to participants and maintains a waitlist of those in need of care. There is a critical shortage of mental health care providers and even fewer who specialize in working with young children – just 5% of licensed providers in Virginia work primarily with kids. To help maintain and expand the pool of providers focused on trauma work with children, ReadyKids supports clinicians at all stages of their professional journey, from Master’s students to seasoned Supervisors. ReadyKids hosts clinical interns each year, provides clinical supervision at no cost to license-eligible staff, and covers the fees required to maintain clinicians’ licensure. Our commitment to helping clinicians obtain necessary licenses to practice and removing the financial barriers to continuing education will help increase access to counseling for years to come.
This work would not be possible without our supporters. Funded in part by the Virginia Health Care Foundation, as well as other generous donors, kids and teens can receive the care they need from master’s level counselors to heal from trauma.