The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude!

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A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Bill Carl, the Morning Host for FaithTalk 570 AM & 910 AM will be interviewing Julie Ames. We will be discussing Julie’s new book A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude – No They are not Okay…but It’s Okay! Raising Special Needs Kids.

A Very Special Journey is more than a memoir. It is a story that provides guidance, hope, and education to parents and professionals who have or work with special needs children. Julie gives her readers the guidance they need to navigate their own way through the educational, medical, and legal waters that special needs families find themselves drowning in.

Julie throws a lifeline to other moms and dads facing the same challenges.  Conversely, by presenting the parents’ perspective, professionals working in these fields will gain a greater understanding and ability to provide services in a way that is truly helpful.

Every parent has to know how to be their own child’s strongest advocate. They need to know what questions to ask, when to demand answers, and when to walk away from advice they don’t trust. A Special Journey will provide these tools.

Julie’s story is about more than a mother and two challenged daughters. It is about more than autism. This story is about love, faith, and family. It is about learning to accept something that cannot be changed and to embrace the gifts we are given, despite perceived imperfections. We cry. We adapt. We reflect. We rejoice. Most importantly, we continue to live, love, and grow together every day. It is indeed a special journey.

Pictured: Julie Ames and Bill Carl, Morning Host for FaithTalk 570 AM
& 910 AM

Dear Friends,

This past Mother’s Day we celebrated our 5th Anniversary. This will be our last show for a while. This is not goodbye but a pause on our current format.

  • Our website will continue to be a resource for parents and caregivers who are caring for individuals with special needs.
  • Our newsletter will continue to provide you with up to date information.

 
The Special Needs Family Hour and I are evolving.

  • I am completing my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Liberty University’s accredited program, to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. 
  • My book, A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude, will be coming out in the next few months. 
  • It is an exciting time with many things happening to include upcoming speaking engagements. 

We appreciate our listeners, our guests who are making a positive difference in the world, our awesome sponsors, and our friends at Salem Media Group.

Julie Ames

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: Healthy Minds Program!

by Posted in Mental Health, Podcasts & Show Resources Tagged , , ,

Healthy Minds Program

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Our guests are Misty Ross, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Dr. Nev Jones with the Department of Psychiatry & Behavior Neurosciences at the University of South Florida. 

We will be discussing Success 4 Kids & Families Healthy Minds Program. Healthy Minds is an innovative program for youth and young adults who have recently begun experiencing unusual thoughts and behaviors or who have started hearing or seeing things that others don’t. 

Enrollment Criteria

  • Individual has experienced symptoms for no more than 2 years (e.g. hallucinations, delusional thoughts, bizarre behavior, paranoia, and/or disorganized speech)
  • Symptoms are not caused by a medical condition or substance abuse
  • Individual must not have a documented IQ below 70
  • Individual must reside in Hillsborough County
Pictured:  Dr. Nev Jones, Misty Ross LCSW, and Julie Ames, SNFH

No More Chasing “Normal” with Author and Counselor Loresa Stansell

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Loresa Stansell, Author of No More Chasing “Normal”!

Our guest this week is Author and Counselor Loresa Stansell. She is the author of the book No More Chasing “Normal” The Emotional Guide for Parents of Children with Autism, Down Syndrome & All Other Disabilities.

“Our loss of normal and the unique emotional roller coaster we ride is summed up in the A-typical Cyclic Grief (ACG) model. ACG is explained and experienced in detail through the life of a woman named Lori. Each chapter in this first of its kind book, provides discussion by the author and challenge questions for parents or caregivers aimed at helping them work through their own emotional reactions.“

Loresa Stansell, LPC, NCC

Loresa Stansell, LPC, NCC

Stansell Counseling & Consulting Services, LLC

Loresa is a licensed mental health counselor. She is the parent of a 25 year old young man with a developmental disability. In 2010 she copyrighted a new grief model called A-Typical Cyclic Grief (ACG) to describe the unique emotional waves encountered by parents that have children with special needs.

As Loresa says, “It is time to break the shame barrier and silence of our grief experience!! This book is about what YOU experience and how to work through our emotional challenges as a parent of a child with special needs. OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT OUR SOURCE OF GRIEF IT IS THE DAILY CHALLENGES OF TRYING TO MAKE THEM FIT INTO A SOCIETY BUILT ON NORMS THAT THEY DO NO MEET.”

“This is an awesome book! My hope and prayer is that one day all educators, physicians, counselors, and families will understand the A-Typical Cyclic Grief model just as we all understand the stages of grief model.” – Julie Ames

This book provides an in-depth look at the emotional impacts faced by parents of children with special needs. This is the stuff your research doesn’t tell you.
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Healthy Transitions Program!

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Healthy Transitions Program

Dan Bramel, Mordecai Dixion, John Mayo, Tajhah Kittling, Tonica Freeman-Foster and Julie Ames, SNFH

Dan Bramel, Mordecai Dixion, John Mayo, Tajhah Kittling,
Tonica Freeman-Foster and Julie Ames, SNFH

Our guests today are representatives from Central Florida Behavior Health Network, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, and Success 4 Kids & Families. We are discussing the new Healthy Transitions Program for individuals 16 to 25 experiencing mental health challenges.

Our Guests:

  • Tonicia Freeman-Foster – Healthy Transitions Project Director at Central Florida Behavioral Health Network.
  • Mordecai Dixion – Program Manager, 2-1-1 &
    Suicide Prevention Services at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
  • Dan Bramel – Healthy Transitions Care Coordinator at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
  • John Mayo – Deputy Executive Director at Success 4 Kids & Families
  • Tajhah Kittling – Transition Specialist at Success 4 Kids & Families

Healthy Transition Program: The project will serve: 16-25 year olds at risk of developing or identified with a serious mental health condition. The goals are to: Make policy and funding changes at the state and local level to improve cross-system collaboration, service capacity, and workforce expertise; create, implement, and expand research- supported services and supports that are culturally competent and youth-guided; provide for continuity of care between child and adult behavioral health systems; and involve family and community members in this process.

Success 4 Kids & Families – Services for kids w/problems at school, home, or the law

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Success 4 Kids & Families – Services for Kids w/ Problems at School, Home, or the Law

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Pictured: John Mayo, Julie Ames, SNFH and Nanci Nolan.

This week our guests included John Mayo, Deputy Director of Success for Kids & Families and Nanci Nolan, SEDNET Region 6 Project Manager with Success 4 Kids & Families and Program Coordinator for Successful Students.

Success for Kids & Families is a non-profit organization offering in-home treatment services for families in Hillsborough County. They offer a helping hand for parents and families when kids begin to experience problems in school, at home or even with the law. They assign a dedicated case worker who works in the home with both the child and the family. Their case workers have access to dozens of programs to help the child and family at risk.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Part 1

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The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Pt. 1

julie-tampa-bay-crisis-center

Julie Ames with Ken Gibson and Sunny Hall of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay

Original Air Date: June 28, 2015

Part I: Ken Gibson, Director of Marketing & Public Relations, and Sunny Hall, Vice President of Client Services explains the many ways the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay helps people in our area.

Call Us: Please call us with your questions for the counselors at the
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay by July 3rd. Our number is 813-816-2637.

Part II: We will be back with Part 2 on July 12th with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the answers to your questions.