A powerful part of MHA’s mission is building a strong foundation of emotional wellness by securing vulnerable families. Healthy Families Frederick County is one of MHA’s powerful prevention programs, designed to support first-time parents through free, strength-based, family-centered services.
Healthy Families was just the assistance and guidance that Elizabeth and Wilson needed. Their Family Support Specialist eased their anxieties by building relationships with each parent and their child, getting to know them and ensuring they were each getting the mental and physical support they needed. Support could look like counseling, Healthy Families resources, or even just a person to call when you aren’t sure what to do.
They shared their experience-
“It was our pleasure to get to know and work with Doris and Healthy Families Frederick for the last year and a half. She is so dedicated to helping babies as they steadily grow and develop into being their best selves as well as assisting new parents smoothly acclimate and adjust to their new lives with a child. Each week she made sure to not only check in and observe our son, but she also checked in with us, the parents, to make sure we were feeling ok with the baby, our partner, our family members, and most importantly ourselves. The postpartum phase was a challenging time in our house as a family unit and as individuals. By giving support and listening to our concerns, we felt heard and understood, which helped us immensely. While adding a child into our lives is new and exciting it is also filled with challenges and unknowns that are a bit scary and worrisome. Doris was there to give us the encouragement that we needed to keep going and help our baby thrive.
We appreciated that she would follow up with tips and ideas on how to handle new situations as well as resources and readings for further understanding of what to expect and look forward to as our baby grows. Many times, she reassured us that these issues are very normal and simply stages that a baby goes through. It helped us to calm down and soothe our anxieties that our baby was on his own time schedule and would meet the milestones in due time. We are sure that if she had noticed a problem with meeting the milestones or his health, she would have made us aware and pointed us in the direction of receiving help from other sources.
As our son matured into toddlerhood, Doris continued to supply us with new ideas and ways of encouraging his curiosity. As a bilingual household, it was so beneficial to receive resources that strengthened his language skills in both English and Spanish.
By moving out of state, we sadly must leave the program, but we know we will continue to use the knowledge that Doris has so freely and openly shared with us. We can’t thank Doris enough for all the support and guidance, and we hope that other families will be able to receive the assistance that this program provides.”
Specialists like Doris connect families to vital community resources that help parents raise healthier children, foster stronger relationships, and create a better future for our entire community.
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