Family Counseling

Larkin's Family Counseling Program, which started two years ago with one client, has grown to serve dozens of struggling families throughout the Chicago metro area. Based at Larkin's special education school in Elgin, the program provides community outreach and therapy, drug education, client advocacy, information and referrals. Clients remain in the program for an average of five months, with some participating for up to a year. Participants pay on a sliding scale based on need.

The primary concern for the family is defiant or non-compliant behaviors from their child or adolescent. The center offers two different types of parenting groups: one for parents of children between the ages of six to twelve and one for parents with adolescents between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. Both groups teach practical and supportive techniques to help parents better work with defiant and non-compliant behavior from their child.

The program includes families from a wide variety of types, including the following:

• Foster parent families
• Families with children or adolescents with behavior problems at home, in school, or in the community
• Families with children with attention and hyperactivity problems;
• Families wanting tips on parenting strategies for dealing with a difficult child or adolescent
• Families with children or adolescents with diagnosed mental illness.

Why It Is Needed
Services provided to children at The Larkin Center focus on giving the skills and coping mechanisms they need to live happy and healthy adult lives. According to studies written, many children diagnosed with behavioral disorders come from homes where abuse has been an issue. Not all of the families coming to The Larkin Center’s Family Counseling Program have shown signs of abuse within the home; however, education and counseling is provided to all of the families seeking these services as a way of preventing any further abuse or to prevent the start of abuse. Studies have expressed that although there may not be abuse within the home currently, parents may resort to abuse as a way of dealing with a child with behavior problems. Parent/child aggressive acts can be related to families in which there is an abusive parent which results in a child having problems. The counselors at the Larkin Family Counseling Program deal with these issues in terms of educating and counseling the parents to help in either preventing the abuse from continuing or preventing it from ever starting.

How Will It Have A Positive Effect
The counselors also work with the child with the goal of helping them through their behavior disorders as well as working to prevent the child from growing into an abusive adult. Experts agree that children who come from violent environments are more likely to be violent adults. The Program also educates the parents on learning to handle their problematic child in a non-abusive way, and encourages the parents to utilize resources and talk with other parents in similar situations.

The program is overseen by Sean Youngstedt, who has a Masters in Clinical Psychology; is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and licensed Clinical Professional Counsel; and a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.