Post-masters interns (MFTI) should have some experience doing child play therapy and collateral work with parents.  It would be preferable if the work has been with children under the age of 7 years, but someone with experience doing play therapy with latency-aged children should apply.  Applicants should also have had experience doing adult psychotherapy; as dyadic work requires experience working with adults and understanding how the parents’ past experiences come alive within their relationship to their young child.  The clinical work at the ACFJC is treatment for trauma and in many cases recent trauma.  The work can be difficult and very rewarding, but it does require that the clinician be prepared to hear traumatic stories.  Each intern will receive weekly individual supervision and group supervision and there is always a supervising clinician available for consultation and support at all times.  The interns at the ACFJC will be working with a full-time staff clinician who trained at the center, so strong support for this difficult work will be available.

Bi-lingual Spanish is preferred.

Please note: This is an upaid internship, but very rewarding work!

Please contact:

Kym Sites, MS, MFT
Clinical Director
admin@thelinktochildren.org or call (510)428-2028 and speak with Spring Opara about details.

KQED proudly celebrates individuals whose work has helped to create a better Bay Area for all. Nominated by the community, these local heroes’ accomplishments are the centerpiece of our annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration.  We invite you to view the awards ceremony where our Executive Director, HC Lee, was honored as a local hero.

Upcoming Broadcasts:

• KQED      9:Sun, May 19, 2013 — 7:00pm
• KQED      9:Mon, May 20, 2013 — 1:00am
• KQED      9:Thu, May 23, 2013 — 11:02pm
• KQED      9:Fri, May 24, 2013 — 5:02am
• KQED      Life:Fri, May 24, 2013 — 10:02
• KQED      Life:Sat, May 25, 2013 — 4:02
• KQED      9:Sat, May 25, 2013 — 6:00pm
• KQED      Plus:Sun, May 26, 2013 — 5:00pm
• KQED      Life:Sun, May 26, 2013 — 8:00pm
• KQED      Life:Mon, May 27, 2013 — 2:00am

“Drink & Donate” mixer with proceeds to benefit TLC and the families we serve.

This happy hour event will take place at the:

Montclair Bistro
6118 Medau Place  (off Moraga by Hwy 13)
Oakland  94611
6-9 pm 

There will be drinks and light hors d’oeuvres served.
Parking  is available on the street and a paid parking lot is located next door.

The Link to Children’s Ladies Design Show featuring fashion designs by Carol Anderson by Invitation (CABi) will take place April 14^th from 2-4pm at The Uptown Towers, 500 William Street, Oakland.

Christine Stewardson of CABi will be there to show off their beautiful spring collection.

Ladies you will be able to try on the collection, make your purchases to support a GREAT organization all while enjoying light refreshments AND it’s FREE!!

This event was a BIG success last year so we hope to see many of you there.

To register for this event please contact Spring Opara by calling (510)428-2028 or by email: springopara@thelinktochildren.org

I feel so fortunate to work for an organization that is being led and helped by so many great people.

The staff and I have come up with a short list of non-monetary items that we need donated in the next 4-6 weeks.  Although the greatest help is fiscal underwriting of program costs, the following items would be really helpful too!

1.  24 reams of basic white copy paper.  Although we are sensitive to issues of the environment, paper is  mandatory for hard copies of all client files, grant writing and other miscellaneous office projects.
2. Minifridge for interns and staff to bring their lunch (already being secured by Diana!)
3. Epson 69 and Epson 125 ink cartridges (black or multipack)  It cannot be generic or a refilled cartridges
4. Post-It notes
5. Double A and Triple A batteries
6. White A 10 envelopes
7. Stamps (as many as possible)
8. Fax machine (new or used but in good working condition)
9. Basic printer (with ink cartridges) to be used at the Alameda Family Justice Center satellite office for the interns
10. White noise machine for confidentiality
11. Dry erase markers
12. Washable markers and washable crayons for play therapy
13. Washable watercolor paint and paint brushes
14. Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, The Talking, Feeling, Doing Game
15. Play Dough (lots and lots)
16. Multicolored craft or all purpose paper
17. Large banker boxes to store older client files
18. Office trash can (plastic, black)
19. Coffee filters, coffee, tea, sugar in the raw
20. Coffee maker
21. Napkins
22. Kleenex tissues
23. Paper towels
24. Hot cups for clients for coffee and tea
25. Manila file folders (1/3 cut tab manila)

ALL donations are fully tax deductible!!  Please email hclee@thelinktochildren.org or call the office at 510-428-2028 to arrange pick up or mail items to:  The Link to Children, 1904 Franklin St., Suite 400, Oakland, CA 94612.

Children should be protected from knowing about events that are terrifying and the only real protection they have from being forced to bear the terrible affects of such events are the most important adults in their lives.

How to respond to your children about the tragic events that fill our world:

• You use your best resource you have on hand, you reassure them that they are safe and that you will keep them and everyone else that you love safe.
• You tuck all that you know to be everyone’s worst fears into your pocket and you keep it there.
• You hug them not out of fear but out of love.
• You take their hand and you walk calmly into their day not revealing your sadness and your fears.  [And in my opinion you make a personal vow to do something each day to makes the world a little safer.]
• You do not watch TV or listen to the radio if you think the scary story will be talked about.
• You find another adult to speak to about your sadness, your anger and your fear and not in hearing distance of children.
• You try your best to not fill their ears and hearts with fear, anger and sadness so that they in turn do not bring fear, anger and sadness into the world.
• You carry the heavy load for them until it is their turn.

What to do if the terrifying story comes into their lives:

The following should be adapted according to your child’s age. No matter what age you are trying to minimize your child’s anxiety.  Very young children are affected by visible communications in their world- your tears, your angry voice, your sense of fear and hopelessness.  Young children, around the age of 7, begin to have some sense of their own mortality; therefore scary events make their impact on a thinking level not just a physical/feeling level.  This awareness grows with their age and of course in adolescence there is a complicated state of vulnerability and a sense of being invincible.

At any age begin with:

• You start by listening and looking to and for what it is that they know or experienced.  Simply ask what and from whom or how they learned or experienced this information.
• Talk with them about what they think and feel about they have learned or experienced.
• Then you help them understand what happened- just enough information to give them the feeling that you know something about the problem and that you will help them by knowing what to do to keep them safe.
• You may have to begin to teach them that there are some people in the world who do really bad things.  It is important to focus on the bad behavior not the person as this gives you room to reassure that there are lots of good people who are trying to help people who do bad things to learn to do good things.
• You remind them to go to the adults in their lives when they feel afraid and to ask people who are the ‘helpers’ for help.
• If your child is older and you know that they might be exposed to their peers’ exposure to the bad event. Talk to your child and tell them that sometimes when you hear something that makes a sad or upset feeling inside you that it is ok to say, “I don’t want to hear anymore and to let you know that they had an upset.”  You can add, “You can help be the driver of your feelings, by saying- enough scary and sad story!”
• If your child is having a difficult time stemming the tide of feelings and information that has come into their lives ask for help- talk to someone you know or a professional who can help you.

This week many of us have been reminded of some sage advice from the mother of Mr. Rogers:

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

We should make protecting all children our utmost priority.