By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

The Family Growth Program of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton in Monmouth and Ocean Counties has reached a dual milestone of providing outreach to children and families who have experienced physical, sexual, social and emotional abuse.

Family Growth staff and clients, along with officials from Catholic Charities and the Diocese, hosted an open house April 20 during which they commemorated the program’s 30th anniversary and also welcomed the opening of its fifth and newest office at 1312 Allenhurst Ave., Ocean Township.

“Our mission is truly to serve the most vulnerable members of our community whose lives have been disrupted by trauma,” Marlene Lao-Collins, Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton, executive director, said. “Recognizing the inherent dignity of each of these children and families, we offer a safe environment where they are treated with respect and mercy.”

The need to open the Ocean Township office resulted from an increasing number of referrals for services, the majority of which hail from Long Branch, Neptune and Asbury Park, Jane Meyer, program director of the Monmouth Family Growth Program, said.

Describing how the program provides specialized treatment for survivors of child abuse and trauma and their families through its trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, pre-school post-traumatic stress disorder treatment and problematic sexual behavior and cognitive behavior therapy, Meyer said that it is in “using these techniques, we are able to provide specialized treatment for children with trauma symptoms, disrupted behaviors and sexually acting out behaviors.

“We employ many techniques in our work to engage children such as use of play therapy, art, therapeutic games, books and sand tray,” she said.

Lao-Collins explained that the Family Growth Program in Monmouth has taken the lead in the country. The clinicians have been trained in multiple evidence-based treatments and are able to address the needs of child and adult survivors of any trauma as well as their family members. Specific treatments are also available for pre-school age children, children with disruptive behavior due to trauma and children with problematic sexual behaviors. There are also several bilingual/bicultural counselors who can address the growing needs of the immigrant population.

The new office is an indicator of the program’s growth over the past 10 years, Meyer said. The main office is in Red Bank, and there are satellite offices in Freehold and Keansburg, all in Monmouth County, and in Whiting, Ocean County. Meyer noted that the Freehold office is housed in the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Child Advocacy Center and is part of a multidisciplinary team that ensures a coordinated response to child abuse allegations.

“We work closely with members of this team, including law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, medical personnel and child protection,” she said.

Meyer stressed that the five Family Growth offices are located in areas that are convenient and can be easily reached, and most of the work is done in the evening so that children do not have any disruption to their school day. She added that counseling services are available in the Ocean Township and Red Bank offices five evenings a week until 8 p.m. as well on Saturdays. The staff is composed of six full-time and 10 hourly clinicians, and last year, the program assisted more than 727 families and provided more than 6,000 therapeutic sessions.

For more information about Family Growth in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, call 732-747-9660 or visit catholiccharitiestrenton.org.