Agency Program

Updates & Additions

3

Facilities Update 6

Success Stories 6

Donations/Membership 7

Sponsors 8

Donors 9

Welcome New Staff 10

Inside this issue:

Family Talk F a m i l y C o u n s e l i n g S e r v i c e o f t h e F i n g e r L a k e s , I n c .

Summer 2019

Hello Supporters and Friends of Family

Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes

Schools program that will initially focus on

Wayne County schools. This effort will bring

Schools and local service providers together

to unify their care for students and their fam-

ilies while engaging the power of rural com-

munities. We will help guide partnerships

focused on enhanced ownership and a

sense of belonging. If successful, we hope

continued funding will allow us to bring the

Community Schools program to the other

counties we serve.

We also received funding from FLPPS to sup-

port an initiative through which we hope you

will find our services even more accessible

as we develop the Geneva Resiliency Center

(GRC). The GRC will be a collaboration of

local government and county systems along

with businesses and community leaders to

enhance efforts to address the multiple lay-

ers of need in our communities referred to

as the Social Determinants of Health. By

utilizing for-profit and non-profit resources,

we hope to create community connected-

ness, generate volunteering opportunities

and develop cross-sector partnerships that

help strengthen schools, community sys-

tems and businesses and build stronger

individuals, families and communities. Stay

tuned to our website at www.fcsfl.org for

more information as our new trauma-

informed programs develop and provide Help

for Today and Hope for Tomorrow.

Barbara Pierce-Morrow

MSM, CASAC, FDC

Executive Director

We have been continuing our trauma-

informed care journey and have made signifi-

cant progress in what we offer to our commu-

nity and regional in the form of training and

education through via the Finger Lakes Resili-

ency Network (FLRN). We have almost com-

pleted this the year-long learning community

effort with our third cohort and will soon be

starting a new group with the Care Compass

of the Southern Tier. We are excited to be

expanding our resources and our collabora-

tions. Acknowledgement and support of

these efforts have been recognized by our

Finger Lakes Performing Providers System

(FLPPS) in the form of financial support

through a grant that will enable us to build the

FLRN infrastructure, linking holistic, cross-

sector collaboration with individuals, families

and community health systems guided by

trauma-informed principles. In short, it will

allow us to provide improved services to the

families, children and individuals in the com-

munities we support as well as share best

practices with surrounding communities.

You will also see these efforts in some new

faces as we grow and add new staff to reach

out and connect with those most in need in

our communities. We have begun a number

of initiatives that will co-locate staff in

schools, community centers and mobile

teams, that focus on meeting needs where

they are. You will see these through our Be-

havioral Health Specialist program which you

will learn more about in this newsletter.

We will also be continuing this outreach

through two other initiatives that have re-

ceived financial support from FLPPS in the

form of year-long grants. One is a Community

Page 2

Our Mission

To provide professional coun-

seling and supportive ser-

vices, to individuals, children,

and families to improve the

quality of their life at home

and in the community.

Programs:

Professional Counseling

Employee Assistance

Trauma Services

Domestic Violence

Bilingual Family Services

Teen Violence Prevention

School Based Programming

Domestic Violence

Accountability Program

LGBTQ Program

Project Promise Parenting

Pathways

Case Management

Behavioral Health

Domestic Violence Hotline:

1-800-695-0390

Neuro-Sequential Model of Therapeutics

brain. This understanding supports the use

of comprehensive interventions that add to

traditional methods of talk, art, and play

therapy. These include occupational and

physical therapy, movement therapy (i.e.,

yoga, martial arts), music therapy, and other

non-traditional interventions for children and

adults who have experienced trauma. Draw-

ing from the concept of neuro-plasticity, re-

parative interventions can be targeted to

specific areas of the brain that have been

compromised due to past trauma.

NMT also

focuses on

the necessi-

ty for posi-

tive relation-

al experienc-

es in helping

indiv iduals

develop re-

siliency in

the face of

life’s chal-

lenges. Dr.

Perry pro-

motes en-

gaging as

many posi-

tive caregiv-

ers and role models as possible in a child’s

life. In addition, the NMT training provides

clinicians with concrete interventions aimed

at strengthening caregiver/child interactions,

which includes but is not limited to, teaching

individuals how to regulate their own behav-

ior. Interventions informed by the NMT

model can help all individuals recover from

painful life experiences regardless of their

age. Several adult clients served by FCSFL

clinicians have received the Brain Map as-

sessments and have responded positively to

the understanding the assessment provides

them related to their past experiences,

providing them with hope as well as tools for

recovery and growth.

Michele Bowersox, MS, LMHC

Supervisor of Counseling and Trauma Services

FCSFL is excited to announce that several

members of the clinical staff have begun

training in the Neuro-Sequential Model of

Therapeutics (NMT). NMT was developed by

Dr. Bruce Perry and is a “trauma informed

approach to understanding clients’ neuro-

developmental strengths and vulnerabilities

in order to best effect a reparative experi-

ence”. Drawing upon years of neuro-

scientific research, Dr. Bruce Perry and his

colleagues have created an assessment pro-

cess that accounts for the effects of adverse

c h i l d h o o d

experiences

and relation-

al health on

the develop-

ment of an

i n d i v id u a l .

C l i n i c i a n s

are trained in

g a t h e r i n g

this infor-

mation via a

“Brain Map”

assessment

which pro-

vides a de-

tailed report

on an individ-

ual’s func-

tioning in four major domains including senso-

ry integration, relational health, self-

regulation, and cognitive functioning. Clini-

cians can then identify interventions and oth-

er supports aimed at improving the client’s

functioning in these domains.

Several clinicians completed the twelve

month long NMT training in 2016. The as-

sessments performed by these clinicians

have assisted clients referred from local

schools, Child Protective Services and Foster

Care Services, Adult and Juvenile Probation,

as well as self-referred clients with a history of

trauma. One clinician trained in NMT refers to

the experience as a “game changer” in that

the research and subsequent model explains,

at a cellular level, how early life experiences

(in utero to age three) affects the developing

Adverse Childhood Experiences

are defined broadly as incidents

of childhood abuse and house-

hold dysfunction. These childhood

traumas often result in toxic

stress that can harm a child’s

brain.

Research shows that with a score

of 3 or more ACEs, an individual

becomes symptomatic and put at

a significantly higher risk for phys-

ical, behavioral and social ills.

For more information, contact:

Scott Ostrowski, LCSW

Supervisor of Counseling and

Trauma Services

at

Phone: (315) 789-2613 x2122

Email: sostrowski@fcsfl.org

ACEs

d

v

e

r

s

e

h

i

l

d

h

o

o

d

x

p

e

r

i

e

n

c

e

s

Page 3

Project Promise Parenting Pathways

Project Promise recently completed the ten

week Mommy Masters group for young parents

ages 13 to 21. We have now started the six

week Baby College for young mothers that are

expecting or have children ages 0 to 3. Play

Academy will begin in May. New this year, we

have added a Focus Group where we are focus-

ing on self-esteem and independence. Recent-

ly we collaborated with Ontario County Work-

force and, as a result, some of our young moth-

ers can now use their hours in Baby College

and the Focus

Group as part of

their Workforce

hours. On April 4th,

Wendy Cartwright

from Finger Lakes

Works spoke to our

Focus Group and

introduced their

new program for

youth in need up to

age 24. This new FL

Works program will

help our young

mothers to obtain a

learner’s permit,

a t ten d dr i v in g

school and go for

their driver’s license free of charge for youth.

They also give gift cards to youth for every

ten hours of education as they work towards

their G.E.D. or other forms of education. This

program is not just for teen parents and does

not go by income.

Bonnie Prater, AAS Project Promise Coordinator

lenges. In addition, the BHS professionals

will assist DSS workers in the development,

implementation, and monitoring for plans of

safe care with infants and families affected

by substance abuse. The goal is to help pro-

vide support and services to parents/

caregivers in order to preserve their ability to

parent their children. FCSFL is excited to be

part of a collaborative effort aimed at en-

hancing the behavioral health services of

children and their caregivers.

Michele Bowersox, MS, LMHC

Supervisor of Counseling and Trauma Services

The New York State Office of Children and

Family Services (OFCS) has provided funding

for Behavioral Health Specialists to enhance

the services of Child Protective and Prevention

Services. FCSFL has entered into contracts

with the Department of Social Services (DSS)

to provide a Behavioral Health Specialist

(BHS) to each of the four counties that it

serves. These Master’s level clinicians assist

Child Protective and Prevention workers in a

variety of ways. The BHS staff work alongside

DSS workers to provide screening and referral

services to families experiencing substance

abuse concerns and/or mental health chal-

Welcome Behavioral Health Specialists

Page 4

Board of Directors

Fred Brockway

President

Michael Bricco

Sage Gerling

Natalie Kanellis

Steven Lauer

Joseph Rusinko

Carol VanHorn

Barbara Pierce-Morrow,

MSM, CASAC, FDC

Executive Director

Over the course of the last 6 months, I have

provided case management services regard-

ing an OVS claim that was pending since

2015 for a wonderful client, Mrs. AL. As we

met for the first time at the District Attorney’s

office of Victim & Witness, she appeared dis-

content at what has been a long drawn out

process. To provide you with a brief synopsis,

her daughter is a sexual assault victim and

unfortunately there was not enough evidence

to prosecute the case, therefore, the Office of

Victim Services denied her claim. After sever-

al denials Mrs. AL appealed the claim denial

again, but this time in Albany, N.Y. She was

successful in reversing the denial and open-

ing the claim once again. This began a tire-

less effort in attempting to retrieve any medi-

cal documents relating to her daughters vic-

timization and submitting them to OVS. As

my first OVS claim as a new case manager, I

was able to dive in and dedicate many hours

to her claim. During the interim we estab-

lished a great working relationship and I am

now close to finalizing the claim. Ultimately,

she might not be compensated 100%, but

she has been awarded nearly $1,500. It has

been a successful case and a great learning

experience!!!!

Donations

Family Counseling relies on our donor's generous

contributions to ensure that we are able to con-

tinue to provide our important services.

Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes,

Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under

IRS guidelines. All donations are tax deductible

as allowable by law.

Gifts are considered unrestricted unless you

specify otherwise. If you would like to make a gift

to a specific program, simply let us know your

preference.

Donations can be made through the Paypal

Donate button on our website at www.fcsfl.org

or sent to:

Family Counseling Service

of the Finger Lakes, Inc.

671 South Exchange Street

Geneva, New York 14456

We are also accepting donations of items need-

ed to help us in our mission to provide our im-

portant services. To the right is a list of some of

the items we are currently in need of.

Requested Donations

Art Supplies: Construction Paper Painting Paper Water Color Paints Furniture/Décor: Silk Plants Child Size Wooden Table (not preschool or plastic)

Framed Pictures / Paintings Small Lamps Gift Cards for Clients in Need: Gas Cards Grocery Store Gift Cards Play Therapy: Kinetic Sand

Play Dough

Stickers Toiletries for Clients in Need:

Body wash / Soap Deodorant Diapers / Wipes

Dish Detergent Feminine Products Laundry Detergent/Dryer Sheets Razors

Shampoo / Conditioner Toothpaste / Toothbrushes Wash Clothes / Towels

Page 5

Locations:

Main Office

671 South Exchange Street

Geneva, NY 14456

(315) 789-2613

Toll Free 1-877-789-2613

familycounseling@fcsfl.org

Branch Offices:

Ontario County

514 South Main Street

Canandaigua, NY 14424

Seneca County

115 Fall Street

Seneca Falls, NY 13148

Wayne County

111 Mason Street

Newark, NY 14513

6692 Middle Road

Sodus, NY 14551

Yates County

263 Lake Street

Penn Yan, NY 14527

Friend Judge David Brind

Mabel & Gerald Deal

Dr. James E. Dickson II

Sandra Nielsen Ditch

Arthur & Linda Equinozzi

Geneva Fit Club

Elizabeth Newell

Elaine & Joseph Ostrowski

Jennifer D. Morris & James L. Spates

Courtney Weber & Elizabeth Bihn

Family Friend Carl & Heather Aten

Joanne Bleakley

Daniel & Paula Chacchia

Downtown Deli

Elderlee, Inc.

Tracey Fox

Rev. James & Jane Gerling

James Kreugar

Nuttall Golf Cars

Seneca Foods Foundation

The Art Farm

Kerry D. Goria and Cathy L. Thurston

Carol & Schuyler VanHorn

Advocate Finger Lakes Partners

Joel & Margaret Kerlan

Vance Metal Fabricators

Leader Sage & Christopher Gerling

Barbara Pierce-Morrow

Joseph Rusinko

Champion Fred Brockway

D&BT Properties

Diana Johnson

Natalie Kanellis

Baby Items Donations Amanda Tourtellotte

Megan Gradwick

Kelley Parker

FLX Pride Sponsors

A Sincere Thank You to Our Donors!

Page 6

Amanda Moore, M.A., LMHC-P completed her

Master’s degree at Medaille College in 2018,

and she previously received her undergraduate

degree from Elmira College in 2010. Prior to

joining FCSFL as a clinical therapist, she

worked for Hillside Children’s Center for seven

years completing intakes and discharges for

children and adolescents entering and exiting

Hillside’s residential system of care. It was

during this time that Amanda decided to return

to graduate school to pursue a Master of Arts

in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Amanda

completed a year-long practicum and intern-

ship at the Article 16 clinic at the ARC of Sene-

ca Cayuga in 2017, and was hired full-time by

the ARC upon the completion of her internship.

Amanda has worked with children and adults

within individual and group settings with a vari-

ety of diagnoses, and is excited to continue to

work towards achieving full-licensure as a

LMHC with FCSFL. Amanda splits her time be-

tween the Geneva City Schools as a school-

based counselor and the Newark office work-

ing with clients in the Counseling Trauma pro-

gram.

Bonnie Prater, A.A.S. completed her Associ-

ate’s degree in Chemical Dependency Counsel-

ing at Finger Lakes Community College in

1993. She was previously employed by FLA-

CRA as a Housing Case Manager and a Sup-

portive Living Counselor. She joined FCSFL in

September of 2018 as the Coordinator for

Project Promise and a Domestic Violence Advo-

cate.

Caitlin Horrocks, LCAT, ATR-BC joined Family

Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes in

March of 2019 as a Trauma Therapist in the

Geneva Clinical office and School-Based Thera-

pist in the Geneva School District. She went to

College at Nazareth in Rochester, NY and stud-

ied Psychology, Fine Arts, and Art Therapy. She

is a licensed and Board Certified Art Therapist.

Caitlin has worked for Hillside and the ARC of

Livingston Wyoming and has enjoyed working

with children, adults, and families all over New

York State. When she is not working, Caitlin

enjoys making art and is currently facilitating

Origami Workshops and is developing a series

of Origami Art Therapy Techniques. Caitlin

looks forward to being a part of the FCSFL

team.

Diana Johnson started at Family Counseling

Service in January 2019 as the Finance Direc-

tor, working 2 days a week until she graduates

in May with her Associates Degree in Environ-

mental Studies from FLCC. Even though she

just started here as am employee, Diana has

been a part of FCSFL for quite some time,

having served on the Board of Directors since

2008. Prior to going back to school, she had

a 35 year career in accounting and finance,

primarily in the banking sector. She loves

working with numbers and loves helping peo-

ple, so working here at FCSFL is a great fit!

She lives in Ontario with her husband Mike,

daughter Alexandra and their puppy Ronnie.

She also has a grown daughter Megan, and a

beautiful granddaughter Brooke. Diana is

grateful to be a part of this wonderful organi-

zation!

Jeanie-Marie Austin, BA joined Family Coun-

seling Services of the Finger Lakes Inc. in Sep-

tember of 2018 as a Case manager for the

Canandaigua office. Jeanie has previously

worked in human services, and various non-

profits. They have a lot of passion in serving

communities and has done volunteer worked

both locally and abroad. Jeanie’s education

comes from the University at Buffalo where

they received their Bachelors in Spanish and

Latino/a studies, and a Master’s in Trans-

national studies. Most of their education fo-

cused on cultural competency, interpersonal

communication, and outreach. Since joining

the organization, Jeanie has had the oppor-

tunity to provide service to victims in the vari-

ous counties that the agency serves. Jeanie

values each of the community resources that

pulls together to support clients on their path

to empowerment. Jeanie places high value

upon the trauma informed care practices of

the agency and the trainings it provides, to

help community members become more in-

formed, and maintain the information neces-

sary to continue assisting clients to the best of

their abilities. Jeanie looks forward to continu-

A

Bright

Idea

When

Things

Seem

Dim

Our Employee Assistance Pro-

gram offers quick, reliable and

professional solutions to prob-

lems that affect the workplace.

The employees and their fami-

ly members receive a full range

of professional counseling

services through this program.

Thinking of an EAP for your

valued employees? For more

information call:

(315) 789-2613

Page 7

Would you like to provide a more

welcoming & inclusive space at

your organization, school, busi-

ness, place of worship, or dining

room table for LGBTQ+ community

members in the Finger Lakes?

Safe Zone Training

Come Learn More About:

Tips on being an Ally

LGBTQ+ Vocab & Terminology

Steps to the Coming Out Model

Communicating Respectfully

Local LGBTQ Resources

For more information or to sched-

ule a training please contact:

Mitch Leet

at

(315) 331-8493 x2605

or email

mleet@fcsfl.org

ing their work with Family Counseling Services

of the Finger Lakes!

Katie Ostrowski, A.S. has been an active mem-

ber of the community in Geneva since moving

here in 2001. She grew up in Livingston Coun-

ty and moved to Canandaigua while in college

at FLCC where she obtained Associates De-

grees in both Theater and Communications.

Katie has worked at various places throughout

Ontario and Seneca County in the finance,

education and human services fields. Katie

enjoys spending time with her dog, going on

adventures, playing games and working on

puzzles. She enjoys being able to use her crea-

tivity, deductive reasoning and alternative

thought processes to help others. Katie views

her work at FCSFL as being an adventure filled

with puzzles and challenges, while she helps to

organize and create new ways for staff to effi-

ciently and effectively help families, children

and individuals in the community.

Ky Kawolics, LMFT-P. joined Family Counseling

Service of the Finger Lakes in April 2019 as a

clinical therapist. Ky received their MA in Coun-

seling Psychology with a focus in Community

Mental Health from the California Institute of

Integral Studies, and have worked with youth,

adults, and families in agency, school, and

residential settings. They are passionate about

making mental health care more available and

accessible to anyone, and are excited about

their new role providing trauma-informed care

within their community.

Robert Adams, LMHC-P joined Family Counsel-

ing Service of the Finger Lakes in January of

2019 as a co-located Behavioral Health Spe-

cialist and Clinical Therapist. He attended

college at SUNY Brockport for Health Science

and completed his masters in Mental Health

Counseling at St. John Fisher. Rob has worked

in substance use counseling for the last two

years and looks forward to being part of

FCSFL as he continues this work.

Shauntay Hardy, BA. is the Human Resources

Administrator for Family Counseling Service of

the Finger Lakes. Shauntay has over 6 years

of HR Management, recruiting experience and

has successfully completed the Leadership

Academy at Robert Half Corporation in May,

(2019). Skills: HRIS tracking, Benefits, Em-

ployee relations, Successions, Labor laws,

Organization Psychology and Payroll manage-

ment. Shauntay’s experience in succession

planning is to find people who fit the culture

and to help them develop the skills to lead the

organization so it stays viable in the future. To

do that, Shauntay has the ability to create a

succession plan that links talent development

with the strategic goals of the board, the busi-

ness and the staff. Shauntay is a certified

Compliance Officer and has attended the

Bonidio Boot Camp in (2017) accredited and

approved by The Bonidio Law firm Corpora-

tion. Shauntay is a Criminal Psychology Major,

graduated from Colorado State University

(2011) with a BA in Criminal Psychology.

Shauntay is currently attending Ashford Uni-

versity online to complete her Masters in Ac-

counting.

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FOR

Electronic News!

Family Counseling is trying to

grow its e-mail list so we can

share the agency’s good news

electronically.

Please “opt-in” by e-mailing

newsletter@fcsfl.org

Our printed publications are

also available for viewing

online at

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@

Your Health. Your Choices. Your Life.

Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow

Visit us on the

web!

www.fcsfl.org

671 South Exchange Street

Geneva, New York 14456

Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes

For more information, visit us online at fcsfl.org

Finger Lakes Resiliency Network Building Stronger Healthier Communities by Investing in People

A

"Relationship Driven Initiative"

Katherine Wheeler, LMSW Director of FLRN

www.fcsfl.org

kwheeler@fcsfl.org

(315) 789-2613 x2130

671 S Exchange Street

Geneva, NY 14456

Principles of a Trauma-Informed Organization

Safe, calm and secure environment with supportive care

System wide understanding of trauma-informed care

Cultural Competence

Promotes consumer voice, choice and self-advocacy

Recovery driven and trauma specific services

Healing, hopeful, honest and trusting relationships