Manville's Family Services
"This is where the kids and families get the help and nurturing and
encouragement they need." -Manville Parent
Family Therapy
Parent Support Group
Parent Focus Meetings
Parent Behavior Management Skills Training Program
Family Events
After School and Summer Program Resources
Holiday Angels
Manville Matters
At Manville, parents and family members are considered essential members of each child’s treatment and educational team. Parents work collaboratively with teachers, milieu counselors, and clinicians to promote the healthy growth and development of their child. There is an active family support program offering clinical services and educational/recreational supports for Manville families. Parents and family members are also strongly encouraged to participate in a variety of groups (support, parent advisory) and activities (newsletters, fund-raising drives) administered by Manville administrative and clinical staff members. The goal of Manville Family Services is to provide sound, effective family interventions, and create a sense of community, involvement, and empowerment among Manville families.
Family Therapy:
If indicated Manville clinical staff will provide assistance to families in improving communication between members of the student’s family. Difficulties with conflict resolution and problem-solving are common for Manville students, and family intervention can be very helpful in creating more supportive, mutually satisfying family relationships.
Parent Support Group:
Parents are encouraged to participate in a weekly on-going support facilitated by two Manville clinicians. During these meetings, parents express concerns, suggest solutions, and share the experience of parenting children with special needs. Parents bring their frustrations, their successes, and their humor to these meetings. Parents receive support and guidance in providing for the educational and treatment needs of their children.
Manville students and families gather at the last Parent Support Group of the 2007-08 school year.
Parent Focus Meetings:
Every six weeks parents have the opportunity to meet and discuss a specific topic led by a professional that has expertise on the subject. Some of the topics that have been discussed are; medication, social development, siblings of special needs children, behavioral management, etc.
Parent Behavior Management Skills Training Program:
The behavioral difficulties children experience can pose significant challenges for their parents/guardians in the home, can disrupt overall family functioning, and prove detrimental to these students’ ability to make progress toward their potentials. Manville’s intensive training program was developed to address these difficulties, and to assist parents in learning to maximize their skills for creating behavior improvements for their children within the home. The Training Program is based on decades of research suggesting that changes in parenting practices are associated with more improvement/positive outcomes for children. In order to maximize parents’ ability to participate in this training program, childcare is provided during the training sessions by Manville staff members.
"Behavior management at home is often the biggest challenge faced by those of us who parent kids with behavioral issues. Having professional training and support available from Manville staff, tailored to my home situation, adds immeasurably to the advantages of having a child at Manville School. In this class I learned new techniques that sound simple, but require lots of reinforcement in order to use them instead of my old approaches. These techniques have made our home life more positive and pleasant. I am far from being a perfect parent but I now have hope. I have also been reminded that I am not crazy to struggle with these challenges, and that parenting a child with behavior issues is hard for anyone and everyone. It takes a lot of work but help is available at Manville," said a Manville Parent involved in the program.
Family Events:
During school vacations, Manville students and their families participate in planned activities such as; ice skating, bowling, canoeing, and mini-golf.
Students, families and Manville Staff enjoy an evening at the skating rink.
After-School and Summer Program Resources:
The family support program has established a resource center to assist parents in finding appropriate after-school and summer programs; including both day and overnight camps, for their children.
Holiday Angels:
This is a program that involves the larger community. During the holiday season community businesses and organizations work with our family support team in providing our needy families with gifts, food and other requests.
Manville Matters:
Manville Matters is a bimonthly newsletter for Manville families inform parents about upcoming events and meetings, school news, and parent tips. Often, parents write articles for the newsletter. A very detailed calendar is includes which helps parents remember important dates.
