The Areivim Difference: Part 4
Click for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 5
Sound Advice
There are many reasons people call a teen crisis organization. Some call for advice. They hope to receive advice during crisis or on a daily basis until their children begin to grow. They want to learn how to manage the growth to ensure that it will continue uninterrupted. In addition, they seek advice on managing their other children during these crises. Hopefully, aware of their shortcomings, parents and youth will also seek advice to help make themselves into better people.
So, why come to Areivim?
Areivim staff is trained to offer simple, yet comprehensive, advice. We listen to the problem, break it down into multiple manageable pieces (making problems less daunting), solve each individual problem, and then put the person's life back into one piece. Our approach is sensible and, with a little resourcefulness, foolproof.
Along with sound advice, we incorporate humor and a confidence that the problem is manageable. Instead of making them feel foolish, we convey a feeling (which is almost always true), that their problems are normal, sometimes acknowledging that, in various degrees, we've had those same challenges in our own families.
But, what really makes our advice special is as follows:
We don't just tell people what to do (telling people what to do has not worked until now and there is no reason to assume it will begin working now). We break down the problem in a manner that allows the solution to emerge by itself. Then, we "wrap up" our discussion by sharing the general life skill guidelines that brought us to its conclusion, life skills that they will use in future challenges. Areivim's advice is more than a one-time ticket. It's winning the lottery.
On an typical day, there are 1-3 parents who have taken me up on the following offer: for two weeks, we speak every morning for fifteen minutes to go over the previous day and their responses. We continue this ritual for an additional two weeks, this time every other day. During that month, we share the skills, the nuances of human nature, our aspirations, insecurities, and fears. After a month, the parents are more effective, the child at risk is happier (or at least, less unhappy), and the family unit begins to heal.
Partnering with Areivim will save our children and, more importantly, our future generations. I'm asking my friends to please click on the banner below, or call the office at 845-371-2760, and partner with us. Our dinner will be held Motzei Shabbos, December 1st, at Ateres Charna.
