Developing growth through group therapy

Oceanside resident and clinical social worker Paul Engel and several groups, recently facilitated an eight-week-long group therapy session, “Healing from Emotional Anger and Relational Trauma”. The sessions organized by the Queens Long Island Community Services, in collaboration with the Flushing Jewish Community Council and FamilyKind, were designed to navigate personal challenges, develop coping strategies, and foster a supportive community environment.

“I’ve found that really, people have prized the group for the environment because we are talking about some heavy stuff,” Engel said. “We are talking about trauma, which is not easy to do, but in a context and people with shared experiences. Certainly, that’s the focus of many groups. This is all something that’s helpful in our healing and as part of all this, I and my staff learn from them as well.”

Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the value of shared experiences and professional guidance in overcoming life’s hurdles. Lindenhurst resident Virginia llanos participated in the therapy sessions offered by Engel’s group as a means of coping with the emotional trauma resulting from a divorce and custody battle.

“I would say that in this session that we just finished there were many just beginning their process of healing,” Lllanos said. “Those that have been in prior sessions were able to be compassionate and share their own experience and how they overcame certain situations with the narcissist in their lives.” The sessions taught about dealing with a narcissist and allowed for self-reflection among participants. “Overall authentic emotions were shared which reflects the trust and support you gain in the group,” Llanos said.”If one falls, the other one can help him up. Which ultimately is what we all seek and need in life and the group gives us.”

Building on the success of the recent therapy workshops, a new program, titled “Successful Parenting with FamilyKind,” is being offered and is specialized to give support to parents.

“We recognize there’s a significant lack of support for parents in our society,” said Leslie Friedland, Executive Director of FamilyKind. “We want to fill that gap by offering highly qualified parenting educators who provide tailored support based on the specific needs of the participants.”

The parenting workshops will be segmented into different age groups, catering to parents of children aged 0-5, 6-12, and 12-18. Each session runs for eight weeks and adapts a core curriculum to meet the unique needs of the group. The workshops are structured to be flexible and responsive, ensuring that each participant receives relevant and practical advice.

One of the features of the now ongoing program is its focus on parents of children with disabilities. FamilyKind will offer specialized workshops for parents who are experiencing marital challenges and have children with disabilities. These sessions will be led by educators with expertise in trauma-informed parenting and special needs education.

“We’re currently in the middle of an eight-week session for parents of children aged 6-12,” Friedland noted. “Soon, we’ll be starting new classes specifically for parents of children with disabilities. We also just finished a session for parents of children aged 0-5.”

In addition to group workshops, FamilyKind offers Individualized Parenting Education for those seeking personalized support. This service is available to individuals, couples, and co-parents or guardians looking for tailored advice to address specific issues.

Friedland and Engel’s partnership traces back to their shared experiences working at a summer camp decades ago. After losing touch for 30 years, they reconnected and discovered a mutual commitment to supporting families through nonprofit work.

I think we’re both really enjoying the ability to reconnect and realize we can do our jobs better by working together.” Friedland said. “Our partnership enhances the work we do,”

The workshops are offered on a rolling basis, allowing parents to join when new sessions begin. For the most current information and to sign up, parents are encouraged to visit FamilyKind’s website, familykind.org and join the mailing list.