Megan Huffman loves one other thing as much as she loves working with kids through Family Service—unicorns. You heard me right, she loves working with kids as much as she loves unicorns. And she loves unicorns a lot! In fact, her favorite quote is “always be yourself unless you can be a unicorn, then always …
Necessary life skills not taught in school
Children have a lot to learn in school. Sometimes, the life skills needed for them to succeed outside of school aren’t taught. That’s why the years immediately following high school can be some of the most emotionally difficult for young adults. Traditional subjects are important, but I am going to list seven other subjects …
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Pride month and mental health
June is International Pride Month. All across the globe, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQIA+) individuals gather with their allies and community to celebrate their identities while also recognizing and bringing awareness to the struggles they still face. How does mental health impact the LGBTQIA+ Community? We cannot support mental health wellness without recognizing …
Mental Health Warrior: Kenny Nguyen
You may have noticed Kenny Nguyen gets Family Service a ton of tags on Instagram by our community partners. He describes himself as dynamic, unorthodox, and passionate, all of which comes through in every picture and every interaction he has on the job. As a Youth Development Specialist, he is always in the community, engaging …
‘Dear White People’: The PTSD story you haven’t heard
Welcome to the time of the year when all your favorite shows dropped at the same time and you feel the need to watch them all at once. This is definitely the case for me! As often happens, my personal life collides with my professional life and I get to thinking about mental health while …
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Mental Health Warrior: Liam Hudson
Liam Hudson is one of the brightest personalities at Family Service. He’s always ready to take a celebration to the next level, as you can see he did for World Turtle Day and National Grilled Cheese Day. His extra special personality makes him a compassionate, caring and effective Youth Development Specialist. Liam worked with adults struggling with addiction …
Compliments and jealousy: Unusual relationship advice
Humans are social beings and generally do best when we are connected and in supportive relationships with the people who are important to us. Many of us have ongoing and ever-evolving relationships with our families, friends and coworkers, but may not always be aware of how the views about ourselves are reflected in how we …
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Mental Health Warrior: Lauren Botello
Lauren does almost all of the things a youth development specialist could do with youth through Family Service. She’s interning to help with Positive Action and Teen Outreach Program® groups, and offering community counseling with middle school students too. Plus she’s spending some of her time providing outpatient counseling, as she works towards a master’s …
Sports: The power of the brain
As school ends and summer begins, many children and young adults are starting a new season of sports. Though some may play sports year-round, for many, summer is a time of exposure to different sports. This is a time for them to determine what works for them, related to both teamwork and athleticism. If you …
Mental Health Warrior: Jane Harris
Jane Harris always has a smile on her face, I swear. But, that makes a lot of sense considering she’s a case manager in our Guardianship Program. As a case manager, Jane primarily works with adults who have intellectual disabilities and have been declared incapacitated by the court system. She makes sure that each person’s health …
