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ATLANTA--When a family with a troubled teenager recently approached their
parish priest for guidance, they found that help was available at their
parish--and at a price they could afford--through the Village of St. Joseph.
The new Village offers child, adolescent and family outpatient counseling by
licensed professionals at locations around the archdiocese.
“Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the Village is able to
offer fees that are based on the family’s ability to pay,” said
Charlie L. Bright Jr., director of the Village.
Clients may be a teenager suffering from depression, parents struggling to
cope with a rebellious child or families distressed about alcoholism, divorce
or sexual abuse.
The structure of the new Village of St. Joseph puts into reach the
opportunity for families to work through these tough issues.
“There are two big impediments to therapy--the cost, and the travel
involved to where the therapy sessions are,” Bright explained.
“We’ve eliminated both impediments.”
Besides basing counseling fees on what the family can afford, “when
there is a child or family in need of help, no matter where they are located,
we will go to them and provide counseling, even if it means driving three hours
round trip for a one-hour session,” Bright said.
The program has been well received by pastors and parishioners throughout
the archdiocese who welcome the opportunity to use counseling services
compatible with Catholic teaching.
“With the present situation in our schools, it is obvious that there is
a great need for counseling for our children. Providing this service under the
auspices of the church gives parents and families easier access to the service
and the cost is within reason to all families in need,” said Father
Patrick Kingery, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Woodstock.
After more than 130 years as an orphanage and then as a residential facility
for troubled children, the Village of St. Joseph ceased operation as a
residential facility last fall and redirected its mission to provide outpatient
therapy services for the archdiocese.
“The need is acute and those in need are the same. But now, instead of
families coming to the Village, the Village comes to them,” Bright says.
“It makes getting help much more realistic.”
Providing the counseling at parishes throughout the archdiocese
decentralizes the services and allows the new Village to serve more families
than would be possible in one location, according to Father Jim Miceli, pastor
of St. Mary’s Church in Rome.
“This is an exciting time to branch out and try something different.
Any time you can provide parish-based services, it seems to work well,”
Father Miceli said.
Continuing the original mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph at the Village
to serve children and families in need, the new Village opened its doors in
January with one therapist on staff and two clients. In just six months, three
therapists, along with Bright, who is a licensed therapist, have counseled more
than 55 families at 12 parishes from Rome to Peachtree City, Lithia Springs and
Covington, as well as at the Village headquarters on N. Druid Hills Road.
The Village currently has a base at 15 parishes mainly in the metro Atlanta
area, although therapists will travel to outlying areas where a need exists.
Bright hopes to establish similar relationships with other archdiocesan
parishes.
“We’ve gone to the parishes and made the pastor and (directors of
religious education) aware of what we do and how we can serve them,”
Bright said. Village therapists don’t need office space, just a private
room at the parish, free from interruptions.
As news of their services spreads, Bright plans to increase the number of
licensed therapists to six, plus himself, by the end of the calendar year.
“Already in just six months, we’ve counseled many more families
than our residential facility was able to help in a full year,” Bright
said.
As a residential facility, the Village had 40 beds and could only
accommodate that many children. Most of the children were referred by the
state, Bright said, and compelling their parents to seek help was often a
challenge. “Now, parents call us,” he said.
Village therapists are enthusiastic about the impact they are making in the
lives of troubled families and children who might not be able to receive help
were it not for the Village.
“If the children don’t get help, whether it’s because of
finances or because of location, it’s only a matter of time before many of
them will be candidates for residential treatment,” Village counselor
Juliet Caceres said.
The new Village is an extension of services offered by parishes, said
Marlena Moore, the first therapist to join the Village staff.
She tells of working hand-in-hand with a parish priest to help a family
through a crisis situation.
“We have a tremendous impact, but it’s a quiet impact. The power
of one family that’s been put back together can have a tremendous effect
for good in the parish, the Catholic community and the community at
large,” she said.
Before joining the Village staff, Moore, a parishioner at the Cathedral of
Christ the King, Atlanta, worked as a medical social worker at Scottish Rite
Children’s Medical Center. She has a master’s degree in social work
from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, with a specialty in families and
children, and has worked as a counselor for Bethany Christian Services, a
nationwide pregnancy counseling/adoption agency, in its Maryland and Atlanta
offices.
Caceres has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Regent
University in Virginia Beach, Va., and has worked with children and families as
a counselor at Norfolk Juvenile Court Family Services, Virginia Beach
Psychiatric Center, His House Children’s Home in Miami and Rapha
Counseling Center in Atlanta.
She has a degree in business administration but found that her volunteer
work with children was more rewarding than a business career.
“I feel grateful for the many opportunities I have had to participate
in international and large-scale functions, but I revel in the simple privilege
I’ve had to cradle and change the diaper of abandoned children,” she
said.
A third therapist, Bryant Poole, joined the Village staff in July. Poole was
the band director at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, for 10 years before he
returned to school and earned his master’s degree from the University of
Georgia. He is now a licensed associate professional counselor.
The main office of the new Village of St. Joseph is at 1961 N. Druid Hills
Road, Suite 205-B. For a confidential talk without cost, call (404) 321-2900 or
e-mail Bright at cbatlga@mindspring.com.
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