Talbot County Department of Social Services (DSS) hosted a Mid-Shore Caregiver Presentation on “Lives in Balance,” a program for resource parents on the Eastern Shore. Lives in Balance is a non-profit organization devoted to ensuring that all children are understood and treated in compassionate, non-punitive, proactive, and collaborative ways.
Local clinician Lisa May, LCSW-C, and Paris Quillet, a special project coordinator for Talbot County DSS, presented the evidence-based, trauma-informed model of care that helps caregivers identify problems that can cause concerning behaviors in children and solve those challenges collaboratively and proactively.
“These presentations are so important to keeping our resource parents and kinship caregivers up-to-date on the latest trends in children’s health and safety issues and also provide a special opportunity for parents to get together and share ideas and socialize,” said Chrissy Montague, Coordinator, Option Respite and Parent Education for the Talbot County DSS.
Resource parents who attended the training also learned that problem-solving is collaborative and best approached with input from their child.
“A child might have difficulty meeting an expectation because they are lacking the skills to respond adaptively to problems and frustrations,” Quillet said. “Dr. Ross Greene, the founder of Lives in the Balance, always shared this message: ‘Kids do well if they can.’”
For further information on becoming a resource parent, call the Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-820-7371 or visit midshoreresourceparents.com.
