Throughout the years, strategic problem-solving skills have played a crucial role in helping youth and their families develop the resilience and capability necessary for long-term growth and healing.
There is always a commitment to excellence in everything that we do. We are continually adapting to the evolving needs of the community. Over the years, Lena Pope has stayed on the cutting edge of family services, ensuring we are equipped to help families navigate the challenges they face today.
One of the biggest changes that I’ve seen today, compared to when I started in 1994, is the significant impact social media has on family dynamics and communication. We recognize how social media can create new challenges and pressures for parents and teens, and we incorporate strategies to manage and reduce these effects within our programs.
For our families, strategic problem-solving means connecting deeply with them to understand their needs and challenges. Whether through our Youth Resilience Wrap Around Program or other initiatives, we focus on building relationships, assessing needs, and addressing core issues that cause disconnect within families. Our approach involves not only working with youth but also engaging parents in a collaborative process.
When parents and teens come in, sometimes you can see hurt and disconnect. I always try to help parents and teens understand that their relationship may not be what they want it to be, but that’s why we’re here to help. We all have to start somewhere, and sometimes it’s as simple as finding that first “key.”
Teens often come in reserved, with a lockbox on that says, “I’m not opening up to any of this,” and our goal becomes finding the right key. We work with the family to become key makers, creating a way to open that lockbox and find a place of connection.
One powerful example is our role-playing exercises, where we help young people and their parents see things from each other’s perspectives. For example, role-playing an argument over curfew where the youth takes the role of the caregiver enforcing curfew and the caregiver takes the role of the youth. This exercise opens lines of communication, allowing everyone to better understand and relate to each other. It gives everyone involved – youth and caregivers – a chance to see where change is necessary and how their attitude or behavior isn’t productive toward building a healthy relationship.
By teaching strategic problem-solving skills, we help young people think through their actions, understand the consequences, and learn how to handle similar situations better in the future.
I have seen many success stories over the years but one in particular that comes to mind is a particularly defiant young man who took the steps he needed to change. He wasn’t perfect, but he learned to think through things first, communicate respectfully, and stay in school. His journey of growth and change exemplifies the transformative power of strategic problem-solving.
It makes me so proud when I run into a young person years later and they come up to me and say I helped them through a hard time in their life.
At Lena Pope, we are dedicated to helping families develop healthy, productive ways to solve problems. Our holistic approach considers the bigger picture, ensuring our efforts benefit not just individual families but the entire community.
Your ongoing support makes it possible for us to maintain our commitment to excellence and ensure that we are continually adapting to the evolving needs of our community. Please consider a donation today so the children and families who turn to Lena Pope will learn the strategic problem-solving skills they need to have long term growth and healing.
by Trey Webster, Lena Pope Family Therapist
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