Teen Parenting Program

If you are a teen mom or dad, it can be tough to take care of your baby, go to school, and handle relationships with family and friends; let alone look to the future and figure out what will happen next.

In the Teen Parenting program a social worker makes an in-home visit to the pregnant or parenting teen(s) and helps put together a plan of action. Services include: counseling; help in getting services; education about parenting; support groups with other teen parents; and a listening ear when the teen parent(s) needs to talk.

The Teen Parenting program is a partnership with Catholic Social Services.

A First Step to Home Based Counseling
Sometimes taking the first step toward asking for help can be the most difficult.  When you are 18 years old, have seen your mother murdered by her boyfriend and been passed from one foster family to another, where does one begin to start a new life?  Such was the case for one young lady.  She is now pregnant, and it is even more imperative for her to straighten up her life.  The very first step required for her to move on in life was to finish grieving for her mother, and she needed help with her feelings of trust. 

After several visits by the home based counselor, the young mother brought out a photo album to share with the caseworker.  With that came a flood of stories about her life prior to her mother’s unfortunate death.  This photo sharing was difficult for her and for the caseworker, but was extremely therapeutic, as this was the first sign the caseworker saw her showing any trust.  She had not shared this photo album with anyone to this point.  This photo sharing and expression of her feelings with her mother led her to begin the grieving process.  

Out of this difficult session came a surprising and uplifting feeling, because the young mother knew she had taken her most important step to recovery and the beginning of a new life for herself and her baby.  A caseworker’s job cannot start sometimes without that first important step.