Services to Families

If you had to draw your perfect island, what would you put on it? If you're 15-year-old Anna, lots of shopping malls, of course.

Doing an island activity is just one of the many ways LSI remedial services caseworker Felicia has been helping Anna, a teen in foster care, and her foster family build skills in areas such as communication and making appropriate decisions.

"Felicia is a godsend," said Carrie, Anna's foster mother. "She takes a huge weight off my shoulders, and I don't feel alone dealing with my children and the system. She's fantastic."

Carrie and her husband Bob currently have three biological children and three foster children in their home. With all eight sitting around a table, Felicia had them each draw their perfect island on a huge brown piece of paper. The activity opened up communication lines for the family and helped them gain insight into each other's perspective.

"Anna had her island protected from invaders like her father and birth family," said Carrie. "And I was the protector. It helped me see she trusts me and wants to be protected from bad influences."

During weekly visits, Felicia is helping Anna to communicate better when asked questions and to voice her feelings.

"I can't say ‘I don't know' anymore," Anna said about her usual response to questions. "Felicia's really nice. She listens to me."

Remedial services help families and children with mental health or behavioral issues build skills in areas such as coping, communication, anger management, decision-making and socialization.

Felicia and Anna also recently completed a timeline of Anna's life, which helped the whole family understand what Anna's life is like through her eyes, and they are working on decision-making skills.

"Remedial services are helping Anna to communicate more," said Felicia. "She's learning that her voice has meaning and value. We're also working on coping skills and how to behave appropriately and not act on impulses."

"We honestly look forward to her visits," Carrie said. "Felicia has tremendous insight on what's going on. She doesn't just put a bandage on the issue – she tries to get to the root of the problem. Felicia works with the whole family so that we can understand each other. Behaviors have already started to improve with Felicia's interventions."

"I feel like it's not just her job," added Carrie. "She really has a passion for it. Every Wednesday when she walks through the door I just want to hug her because she truly cares."

The names and photo of this family have been changed to protect
Anna's privacy.