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Putting Children First |
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Putting Children First is a four hour, court mandated,
educational support group for parents who are about to embark on
divorce. The program
recognizes that loving, caring parents may lose sight of how
deeply their children may be affected by their decision to
obtain a divorce.
The thought is that if parents are more informed about the
pitfalls of families in divorce, they may be more responsive to
their children’s needs during this time.
Some
of the topics that are covered during the session include,
co-parenting, dealing with children’s anger, dealing with an
unhappy spouse, etc.
The idea is to facilitate a discussion within the group that
will put all parents on a more positive level with their
children and the spouses they are divorcing.
The goal is to empower the parents and to stress how
important it is to share with their children that the divorce is
not their fault.
The hope is that these parents will walk away from the class
with better knowledge and, therefore; create a better atmosphere
for themselves and their children during a difficult time.
This class is facilitated by an individual who is of a
Master’s level in social work or a licensed mental health
counselor. A
certificate of completion is presented to all participants for
use through the courts.
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Facilitators |
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Sara
Henry has relocated from Los Angeles with her family to Naples and life
near her mother and two sisters.
She earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University
and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida and
California. She is available to see children, teens, and adults
(individuals as well as couples) for psychotherapy at her private
practice at:
Naples Southern Plaza, 3400 Tamiami Trail North, Naples FL.
Sara is our Putting Children First Program Coordinator.
 Dr.
Karen Bilter is a school psychologist with 18 years of experience
working with children and families in the public school system.
She received both her Masters degree and Doctor of Philosophy
from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.
Dr. Bilter moved to Naples from the Pacific Northwest and is
currently working on the necessary components to obtain her license as a
school psychologist through the Florida Department of Health.
She has experience with children in preschool through high
school. Her background includes
working with children on the autism spectrum and children with ADHD and
their parents in developing home programs that coordinate with
school-based programs.
Carol is a private practitioner in Play Therapy, with an office on Anchor Rode Drive, in the central Naples area.
She specializes in the treatment
of infants, children, adolescents, and families using the healing power
of play. Carol has been a
Naples
resident since 1983, and has had extensive experience in the mental
health area. She worked as a
teaching assistant at ''Step By Step” preschool for children with
special needs. Carol worked for
Collier County Public Schools for several years at the Teenage Parenting
Program (TAPP).
 Udo Fischer
owns a professional degree in Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology in
Germany. In the State of
Florida he holds a Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology and is
currently waiting to sit for the state exam for Mental Health
Counselors.
After commuting between Europe and the U.S. for 3 years he
moved to Naples by the end of 2006. Besides having worked in an
inpatient treatment facility for eating disorders and substance abuse in
Florida he is affiliated with an outpatient treatment center for these
disorders, where he provides for individual, group and family therapy.
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