FCC provides a safe place for children and families (Winona Post)
WINONA, Minn. (Winona Post) – Hearing a client’s story of how the Family and Children’s Center (FCC) helped her become the mother she wanted to be is a prime example of the worth of FCC’s work to Ellen Hongerholt. After not growing up in the kindest family, the client wanted something different for her daughter. The daughter will now have a completely different upbringing than her mother, said Hongerholt, FCC’s director of advancement and marketing. The client’s positive experience may expand to include others, as well, Director of Minnesota Programs Karrie Hahn said, as she may tell friends about it and refer them to the center.
FCC offers a variety of services to families and children, from counseling to day programs, to help support their individual and collective health. FCC has a center in Winona, in addition to several locations in Wisconsin. Hahn said she appreciates the fact that the center serves people at all stages of life, and Hongerholt said she enjoys that the services are like a blanket, as a continuum of care wrapped around people. We all go through difficult times and unexpected challenges in life, Hongerholt said, and the center can help address those. Hahn said that while it can be hard to ask for help, the center wants people to know everyone needs it, and it is good to ask for it. Hongerholt said, “We all want to feel fulfilled and live productively.”
The center offers a safe visitation program that provides opportunities for children to safely spend time with a noncustodial parent. This includes services such as supervised and partially supervised visits and exchanges. County social workers, the court system, or families themselves may refer a family for the services. The services may be required because of factors such as domestic violence. At the center, the rooms for visits feature activities for families to do together, such as games for families to play.
In situations of alleged child abuse, forensic interviews of children can be conducted at the center through its Matty’s Place program. Law enforcement, child protective services, a forensic interviewer and a family advocate are all part of the group involved in these instances, and law enforcement or child protective services refer families for this process. Children are interviewed one time in a gentle way meant to mitigate the effects of discussing possible trauma. While the forensic interviewer speaks with children one-on-one, other group members observe the interview from a nearby room.
There are also day programs for children experiencing mental health or behavioral challenges.
Children and adults can access outpatient counseling at the center to help address issues including trauma, anxiety, and relationship problems. The center’s counseling services include therapy for individuals, couples and families, as well as services for mental health and substance use.
Through the center’s Hiawatha Hall program, people 18 years and older experiencing mental health or substance use challenges can receive services such as group therapy and medication monitoring, in addition to job services and opportunities for social and recreational activities, to help shift to living independently.
The article originally appeared on winonapost.com on February 14, 2024.
