Model and Strategy
In 2015, AHW launched FR to reach thousands more youth struggling with the effects of complex trauma and chronic ambiguous loss than it could possibly provide with psychotherapy. Complex trauma occurs in the context of trusted relationships that ought to nurture development but instead cause significant harm through neglect, abandonment, or abuse. Unlike the certainty of a loved one's death, the stress of ambiguous loss comes from uncertainty about whether a loss is temporary, or how long it may last (e.g., a child who is removed from her parents' custody without knowing when or if she'll return). FR makes accessible to thousands of adults who work with and care for this population the relationship-based practices that are proven to best address the emotional challenges they face. The mental health field has known for decades that when a child heals, a family benefits, as do classrooms, work settings, and communities. Families and communities heal together with their children.
Impact
The potential impact of helping to ameliorate the effects of trauma and loss is far-reaching. When a struggling child or adolescent can experience healthy relationships, improved self-regulation, and better boundaries, the positive effects reach even further into communities. Specifically, a child who can soothe herself to sleep becomes a calmer, more attentive student. An adolescent who can control his impulses is less likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease, use drugs, or break the law. A parent who gets more sleep because his young daughter is sleeping better and his teenage son is staying out of trouble is able to stay alert at his job. A teacher who has learned techniques that work for calming dys-regulated children in her classroom can get on with the business of educating. More students learning, more workers getting their jobs done, more families thriving, fewer laws broken, fewer drugs abused, fewer young adults incarcerated or homeless... the potential secondary and tertiary effects are widespread and important.
Leadership
-
Dr. Toni Heineman
Founder & Executive Director