Family & Youth Forum
E-Newsletter from Family & Youth    Lake Charles, LA

May
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 What's Inside

Reconstruction or Restoration

From Response to Recovery

Renewing Our Awareness

Grief: A Normal Response to Loss

Teen Leadership Council

The Leadership Center for Youth--Sulphur Open House

Goal Digging

The Back Page

Mission
It is the belief of Family & Youth that all individuals possess the ability to solve their own challenges and live full healthy lives when support is available. It is the mission of Family & Youth to provide affordable and professional support through programs and services dedicated to advocacy, counseling, and education for the people of Southwest Louisiana. Our effort and commitment to building family values will guarantee a stable and stronger community. 

Renewing Our Awareness

by Danielle R. Caraway, MA, LPC, LMFT, Director of Autism Support Alliance

“America’s present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration...”

This quote from Warren G. Harding, 29th president of the United States, highlights his campaign slogan Back to Normalcy in the 1920s, post-World-War I era. In Southwest Louisiana, we have very similar needs for healing, rebuilding, and restoration. We are all moving forward in our own ways as we rebuild our homes and communities. We are also learning tolerance of different needs and patience through this tedious process.

Family & Youth’s Autism Support Alliance, a program servicing families within the autism community, is participating in that same process. April was Autism Awareness month, a month dedicated to increasing awareness about and acceptance of those with autism. Individuals with autism are challenged in the way they relate to others. The way they communicate and express themselves is quite different, and requires a certain amount of understanding from those of us without autism. In addition to individual and family counseling, we offer social skills groups for children, adolescents and adults with autism to assist them in becoming participating members of our community.

For more information on the Autism Support Alliance and the services we provide, please contact Danielle or Kathrin at 337-436-9533.

Visit the Autism Support Alliance web page.