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Therapeutic Services

TRAC is committed to supporting all adoptive, foster and birth families

Commitment to Families

TRAC is committed to supporting all families in the regions we serve. Our services, both in-home and out-patient, are offered to enhance and enrich family life and to provide support and encouragement through the difficult times.

Family Connections

encompasses child preparation services, post-permanency services, family and professional education, and therapeutic support. The ultimate goal of Family Connections is to ensure that children placed in permanent families do not return to the child welfare system.

Post-Permanency

Case assessment, case management, respite and support group referrals make up post-permanency services provided by Connections. These services are all supported by the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). A family assessment is completed within one month of referral and follow by five months of direct case management. Service can include in-home therapy, advocacy for the family in community settings and consultation and referral with other professionals serving the family. Parents are also encouraged to participate in one of the 25 support groups existing throughout Western PA.

Respite

is another much relied upon component of Post-permanency. This service provides families a much needed break to eliminate burn out and keep the family unit intact. Available respite includes but is not limited to: emergency respite, planned respite, specialized camps. TRAC has also been able to plan several family and child specific Respite Retreats. Funded by a generous grant from The Staunton Farms Foundation, these retreats give families and children the opportunity to participate in trust-building activities and meet and lean on one another for support.

Outpatient Therapeutic Services

The journey of adoption can impact social, emotional and regulatory development and influence the lives it touches in ways not often address by many mental health professionals. The Connections staff are both experienced at understanding and identifying issues associated with adoption and broadly trained to address them. Some of the areas Connections can help with include: pre-adoption family counseling, parent-child attachment, family therapy, identity, independent living. Some of the treatment options available include: child-centered play therapy, individual psychotherapy, attachment therapy, group therapy, child-focused family therapy.

Education Opportunities

TRAC provides a variety of parent and professional education series including, but not limited to, specialized training in such areas as sexual abuse, separation and attachment. Along with its consortium of member agencies, TRAC’s highly trained staff also presents at numerous local, state and national conferences. This year TRAC hosted its first ever Speaker Series addressing ways to heal the hurt child. Three two-day conferences were offered throughout the year.