Specialized Support for Caseworkers

Therapy Specific to Needs of Foster Children

Our therapeutic experience with foster children assists caseworkers in helping the child and supporting service plan objectives. Even though there can be multiple concerns with foster/adoptive children, we uncover the inherent strengths in the foster child and use those strengths to address the problematic issues. We support caseworkers in helping children and teens in custody, assisting foster parents, and supporting the reunification process.

Attachment/Relationship Enhancement Therapy

Teens

Children in foster care have experienced a significant breech of trust. We use an evidence-based EMDR family therapy model that helps children who have significant attachment issues or who may generally not trust adults. read more >>read less <<

Parents of younger children learn specific therapy skills and conduct play sessions which has been shown to improve relationships and understanding.Parents gain insight into their child’s behaviors and feelings by learning to conduct play therapy sessions under a therapist’s direction. According to research, when families participate in this form of therapy:

  • Problem behaviors in children decrease
  • Parents learn vital parenting skills such as structuring and limit setting
  • Families find appropriate ways of dealing with emotional outbursts

Play therapy most importantly helps parents and children—including older children and teens—develop a closer relationship to overcome attachment issues.

Trauma-Focused Therapy

Both Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and EMDR are evidence-based treatments used at Wellspring. These modalities help identify and correct beliefs and thoughts, including recognizing, reducing, and resolving trauma triggers. When helping children with trauma, often including a supportive caregiver is important to the healing process.

Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychological Testing

This highly specialized form of testing goes beyond standard psychological testing by providing comprehensive, detailed information. read more >>read less <<

Neurological testing sorts out the neurological, developmental and psychological aspects of a child.

Especially helpful when a child’s early history is unknown, this testing sorts out questions of learning disabilities and developmental delays for children who have had:

  • fragmented school experiences
  • a history of school failure
  • major medical illness
  • suspected prenatal drug and alcohol exposure
  • traumatic injury
Psychological Testing for Children

This evaluation assesses academic strengths and vulnerabilities as well as teasing out aspects of a child’s emotional and mental functioning. This testing provides comprehensive, detailed information about how a child’s past experiences and view of the world affect current social, academic, and personal functioning.Testing will provide specific recommendations to improve the likelihood of success at home, school, and in therapy—especially for complex children.

Psycho-Sexual Testing

This evaluation looks at a child’s level of risk for sexual misconduct with an emphasis on providing treatment recommendations. Integrating psychological testing with testing and evaluation related to sexual abuse or offense, it provides specific recommendations to guide the level of care and direction of treatment. Accredited by the National Organization of Juveniles Offending Sexually.

“Fitness for Parenting” Psychological Testing

We evaluate the psychological functioning of adults as it might relate to relationship struggles, employment problems, and a parent’s stability and fitness for parenting.