Health Services – Focus on Health, Body & Mind Project
February: Identifying Trauma Reactions To Create A Safe Environment For Children
We often separate mental health from physical health. One might say, “I’m going to the gym to get in shape” or they may also say “I’m going to a therapist to get my head right”. Our brains are part of our bodies, so we’d be wise to realize mental health is physical, and physical health is mental health. The two are linked, and cannot be separated.
A Mind, Body & Culture Home Visiting Program is available for children from birth to 30 months of age. It can be provided on its own or as a complement to other early childcare programs. The program allows parents to choose either virtual or home-based weekly visits to enhance family relationships, basic communication skills, and preparation for school.
Link with Voices of Tomorrow to learn about opportunities for home-based early childcare, preschool programs, parent training, employment, and professional development.
Wellness Education is offered to families, staff, community members, and allied professionals.
Founded in 2012 by two East African professionals who came together to achieve one goal: “Helping today’s children for a better tomorrow.” VoT takes pride in delivering a wide array of comprehensive services for immigrant and refugee children, families, and in-home early childhood providers in King County.
Unfortunately, our community experiences racism and other oppression due to immigrant status that results in health, education, and financial inequity, and has a negative affect on our mental, emotional, and physical health. But our faith, community, and heritage give us strength to overcome any challenges.
For this month, we are providing resources to identify trauma reactions in children and creating an environment of safety to benefit their mental, emotional, and physical health. To ensure our program meets the needs of the community we serve, VOT relies heavily on support and input from both partners and community members.
VOT has a licensed independent clinical social worker on staff ready to offer behavioral health experience and knowledge to the early childhood/learning programs.
In-depth staff training is being provided to teach information on compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion resilience. Specialized information is being shared about how trauma appears in early childhood and ways staff can support families to address the problems and recover from critical events common to immigrants and refugees from East African countries who settle in the United States.