Children who have been hurt and/or neglected within their families in their early years of development can be traumatized by these experiences and find it difficult to feel safe and secure within their families. This is sometimes called developmental trauma. To help local therapists have the tools they need to deal with this trauma, For All Seasons’ Center for Learning, in partnership with Mid Shore Behavioral Health, Inc., recently offered a training program in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), taught by the founder of the DDP modality, Daniel A. Hughes, Ph.D. on May 17-20, 2023. Twenty participating clinicians from across the Shore participated in four days of experiential training, which will increase the region’s capacity to serve and support youth and families affected by early childhood trauma.

The training was implemented by For All Seasons, Inc. with generous lead funding from the Talbot Family Network, Talbot County’s Local Management Board. Additional supportive funding came from Mid Shore Behavioral Health, the George B. Todd and Reynolds/Cristiano Funds of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, and Worcester County’s Initiative to Preserve Families.

Clinicians who participated in a training program recently held in Easton in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is a treatment approach to trauma, loss, and/or other dysregulating experiences. DDP is based on principles derived from the theories and research of attachment, attunement, and the knowledge of trauma and interpersonal neurobiology. Dr. Hughes, a clinical psychologist from South Portland, Maine, founded and developed DDP. This psychotherapy treatment occurs in a family setting, with caregivers and youth working side-by-side to form healthy attachments.

According to Beth Anne Dorman, President and CEO of For All Seasons, studies have shown that COVID’s isolation measures negatively impacted healthy attachments, especially for lesser-skilled, under-resourced parents.

“Children who were already at risk for the effects of insecure attachment were negatively impacted during the lockdown because they were unable to sustain the healthy attachments they had with adult figures at school and in the community. This was particularly true for adolescents who experienced social disconnection from peers during COVID, even if they had secure/healthy attachments to parents, because of the critical developmental need for peer attachment during this age range,” she explains.

Three participants in the DDP training program role-playing to help practice skills learned during the training.

“DDP is conversational and involves both the child and the parent. It’s based on attachment principles whereas many other therapies are not. These principles, I think, are basic to human nature. Children who are successful in life have secure attachments to their parents. If a child has been traumatized by parents early in life, they have to learn how to trust parents who are now taking care of them,” Dr. Hughes comments.

“A child may struggle with attachments, not necessarily because they experienced child abuse, for example, but because of stresses in the family. These could be related to family moves, changes in employment, or a divorce. There may also have been intense relationship stresses the child has had to deal with which have undermined their ability to feel safe.”

Participants of the training learned from recorded therapy sessions Dr. Hughes had done in the past with families. He also shared case studies of families who he worked with and described some of the interventions, responses, and dialogues had with families. For nearly 40 years, this model has been used by therapists throughout the United States and Canada, as well as countries in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to help children and youth reach their full potential and reconnect with others in their lives.

“I developed the model because I didn’t think the therapy models being used at the time were very effective in treating real traumatized kids. I then developed a model based on attachment research and theory because the other models were not based on this,” Dr. Hughes states.

“For All Seasons Center for Learning is delighted to offer this training program to reach youth-serving mental health clinicians across the Eastern Shore, with a focus on Talbot County, who can make an impact on bettering the lives of youth and families in our communities. The youth and families affected by attachment disorders and trauma have had very few options for mental health clinicians trained in treating attachment and trauma disorders. This training program aims to remedy that problem by building a robust network of mental health clinicians who are equipped to provide attachment-focused care,” adds Lauren Weber, Vice President for Philanthropy and Education at For All Seasons.

“While the four-day training took place over four days in May, this cohort of participants will continue to meet monthly over the next six months to continue their DDP learning journey and ensure that each is fully supported in applying what they learned from Dr. Hughes. During this time and after, our partners Mid Shore Behavioral Health will continue coordinating referrals for care to this new broader network of attachment-informed mental health providers.”

For further information about For All Seasons Center for Learning and its educational programs, contact Lauren Weber, Vice President for Philanthropy and Education at For All Seasons at [email protected] or call 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org. For information about DDPI visit the website www.ddpnetwork.org.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org.

For All Seasons, is proud to be a part of the Governor’s initiative – the Maryland Regional Navigator Program – serving human trafficking victims under the age of 24 on the Mid-Shore of Maryland. Although For All Seasons has been working with victims of human trafficking for years, this program connects our Regional Navigator with experts across the state to better support human trafficking victims on the Mid-Shore.

Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or threats to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act against a person’s will, often for little or no pay, or for something of value such as food, shelter, clothes, or drugs. It is a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children. All persons under age 18 who exchange sex for something of value are human-trafficking victims regardless of the presence of force, lies, or threats. A child cannot legally consent to commercial sex.

“Our Open Your Eyes. Get Informed.  campaign provides the opportunity to raise awareness and start a conversation with your children, family, and friends about exploitation and Human Trafficking. Trafficking is happening here in our community, and the public needs to be informed about the signs, risk factors, and resources available for victims,” comments Kristy Mirando, Director of Victim Services at For All Seasons.

The Eastern Shore is an attractive place for trafficking because of its geographic location in proximity to transportation routes by land, air, and sea that offer opportunities for human traffickers to go undetected. Major highways like I-95, Routes 40, 50, 301, and 13 all make transporting victims and meeting buyers easy. In addition, three major international, inexpensive bus transportation, train service, and a high rate of seasonal work make Maryland attractive to human traffickers.

Susan Ahlstrom, For All Seasons’ new Human Trafficking Navigator comments, “I hope to help mitigate the upward trend in Human Trafficking by expanding For All Seasons Rape Crisis Center’s outreach and strengthening the medical, legal, social service, and mental health collaboration that has already been established to support survivors. I believe my counseling and education background, along with the strong communication and networking skills that I bring to the position of Human Trafficking Navigator, will help facilitate the most effective trauma-informed response to serve victims and their families in the Mid-shore region and beyond.”

Human trafficking does not discriminate based on age, class, gender, race, education, sexual orientation, or geographical location. It can occur in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Targeted victims may have an unstable home life, a history of sexual or physical abuse, nowhere to live, be runaway youth, a substance user, have a lack of employment opportunities, or simply be a person who needs belonging and acceptance. The most vulnerable individuals may have experienced sexual violence and trauma in the past, homelessness, involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, experienced substance abuse themselves or within their families, or be immigrants, LGBTQ youth, or developmentally or intellectually delayed individuals.

On the Mid-Shore, For All Seasons Rape Crisis Center has seen an uptick in trafficking victims through online sexual exploitation. Greater amounts of time online during the Covid epidemic and beyond have put youth at greater risk of being lured by online predators.  These imposters often give the impression they are younger and romantically interested in the minor being targeted to earn their trust to gain illicit photographs or videos of the minor.  Youth sometimes end up meeting up in person with perpetrators they befriended online and this often leads to trafficking situations.

Parents and caregivers are highly encouraged to talk to their children about the risks of sharing personal information online and educate them on why they should not communicate with anyone they do not know, even if it appears to be another youth.

Parents must monitor their children’s use of all digital devices including laptops, tablets, desktop computers, gaming consoles, and smartphones.  Traffickers tend to target marginalized and vulnerable individuals who may have experienced trauma or abuse, but any child can be at risk of being groomed by a predator.

If you are a parent or a caregiver, know whom your child is talking to online.  Talk to them about the risks of predators, remind them not to friend someone they do not know, never send photos and other personal information, and never meet up with people they do not know. Parents and caregivers can learn more about keeping kids safe online at: bit.ly/tips_onlinesafety.

To learn about how to identify possible human trafficking victims, the industries where human trafficking most likely occurs, and how to help, visit WeSupportSurvivors.org. If you want to stay updated on anti-human trafficking community events or presentations, email Susan Ahlstrom at [email protected].

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org

Jessica Bass, LCPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC, NCC, the Director of Clinical Services of For All Seasons, Inc.

For All Seasons is providing a unique Supervisor Credentialing Training for social workers and professional counselors at The Point at Pintail in Queenstown, Maryland on June 23 to 25, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The three-day in-person training fulfills the 24 credit-hour training necessary for professional counselors and social workers to obtain the licensure that allows them to provide clinical oversight and supervision of interns and early-career therapists.

“Currently, there are no similar live, in-person options for obtaining this training on the Eastern Shore, therefore requiring mental health workers in the region to travel across the Bay Bridge to advance their careers, incurring additional travel expenses. This clinical supervisor training program will be offered to therapists internally at For All Seasons and clinicians throughout Maryland,” states Lauren Weber, Vice President of Philanthropy & Education at For All Seasons.

Funding for this training is being provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) administered by the Talbot County Economic Development, enabling For All Seasons to offer this training at a greatly reduced rate from $1,250 (actual cost) to $350 per person. Participants will gain the skills they need to become successful, trauma-informed clinical supervisors.  The experiential program will provide valuable instruction on how to create a dynamic and supportive atmosphere where supervisees will thrive. Participants will gain key learnings in person-first supervision, and recognizing and managing signs of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma in their supervisory roles. The training fulfills the COMAR requirements for licensure of both social workers and professional counselors in the state of Maryland.

Jessica Bass, LCPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC, NCC, the Director of Clinical Services of For All Seasons, Inc., will be the trainer for the program. Bass received her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and a dual master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the states of Maryland and North Carolina, a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist in Maryland, and a nationally Board-Certified Art Therapist through the ATCB, Inc.  Her clinical focus is incorporating a multi-modality approach to treat clients impacted by complex trauma.

“By offering this training, we are strengthening the community of social work and counseling leadership which in turn will help to build the health and wellness of the Mid-Shore community,” comments Beth Anne Dorman, President and CEO of For All Seasons.

Participating clinicians will receive 18 Category I CEUs for in-person training hours and 9 Category II CEUs for self-paced online learning (to be completed prior to the June 23-25 training). The cost is $350 per person. Breakfast and lunch, as well as training materials, are included. There are limited spots available. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/MarylandSupervisor.

For All Seasons recently partnered with the Dorchester County Detention Center to bring awareness about human trafficking through its Red Sand Project. Across the Shore, participants have poured red sand into sidewalk cracks and used the time to start a discussion about the causes and effects of human trafficking and exploitation. The red sand represents the victims of human trafficking who have slipped through the cracks yet may still be hiding in plain sight.

Susan Ahlstrom, Trauma, Addiction, Mental Health and Recovery (TAMAR) Coordinator at For All Seasons, who works with women who are incarcerated in the Dorchester County Detention Center, introduced the Red Sand Project to Kenneth Rodgers, the facility’s director. He got his maintenance staff on board to create a large, grey board that was routed to replicate the sidewalk outside so the women could participate inside the gym. The routed board had adhesive so the sand would stick – the idea of one of the women who participated so that the board could be a permanent reminder inside the facility of the importance of this issue.

Photo: With the Human Trafficking Red Sands Project board, created by women who are incarcerated in the Dorchester County Detention Center, left to right, are Susan Ahlstrom, Trauma, Addiction, Mental Health and Recovery (TAMAR) Coordinator at For All Seasons; Jennifer Hartfield, Visual Arts Coordinator, Dorchester Center for the Arts; Director Kenneth Rodgers, Dorchester County Detention Center; and Rebecca Woodward, LMSW, Dorchester Addiction Reentry/Treatment (DART) Program Coordinator at the Dorchester Detention Center and with the Dorchester County Behavioral Health.

“I also reviewed the subject of Human Trafficking and the history of the Red Sand Project with the TAMAR participants during the sessions. Human trafficking facts and statistics were shared and the women were educated about the high incidence of trafficking in our area and the aspects of trauma surrounding such an experience. Overall, the women were familiar with some aspects of the issue, but become more aware of the scope and prevalence of the problem. They were very engaged and the staff also became interested in the project and were quite outspoken about the magnitude of the problem. The Warden and staff were pleased with the outcome and the consensus was that it had become a collaborative/community work of art.”

“It was great how responsive the Warden and other staff members were to this Human Trafficking awareness project. I appreciated their willingness to work with For All Seasons to help bring this learning experience to the women at Dorchester County Detention Center. Hands-on learning experiences like this one are not always easy to implement in a correctional environment, but they are always impactful.”

Rebecca Woodward, LMSW, Dorchester Addiction Reentry/Treatment (DART) Program Coordinator at the Dorchester Detention Center and with the Dorchester County Behavioral Health, also joined in on the effort.

“There is so much to be said about why projects like this are important. Women who experience incarceration have often survived many traumas, including human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking. Some women do not realize that they have been trafficked because of the psychological component of the abuse and many women have shame around their experiences. Raising awareness helps provide education on what human trafficking is, and dismantles that shame. It lets people know that the abuse is not their fault and that they are not alone. This provides a pathway to healing,” Woodward remarked.

“The program offered through For All Seasons is very important to the facility to help stop recidivism and help the female detainees cope.  Some of the females that enter this facility have trauma-based criminal activity, from the use of drugs to theft and human trafficking.  Their self-esteem has been shattered so they start to rely/count on outside stimulants to be able to, in their mind’s eye, survive,” commented Director Kenneth Rodgers, Dorchester County Detention Center.

“I believe when the female detainees were able to participate in the Red Sand activity, it gave them some strength back, being able to recognize the inhumane existents of this terrible anomaly of Human Trafficking.  Being able to show the ones who have been lost in the cracks can help us as a nation, put a stop to this crime against society.”

The Red Sand Project board is currently on display at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, 321 High Street, Cambridge, Maryland.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org.

L-R: Erica Batson, Executive Assistant and IT Manager for For All Seasons; Myisha Johnson, Case Manager, For All Seasons; and George King, Director of Practice Operations, For All Seasons.

For All Seasons announced in March it will launch its “Give With Your Heart” seven-day virtual campaign which will underscore the importance of mental health and community connection and the impact it has on all of us.  Each day between March 25 and March 31, For All Seasons will share a video featuring its friends, clients, and staff on its social media and a virtual giving wall. The videos will showcase individual stories of mental health and the importance of reaching out for help. A campaign music video, featuring For All Seasons’ staff and Heart & Music cast members, will be released on March 31.

“Mental Health affects everyone, whether it is our own struggles or struggles experienced by our family, friends, or coworkers. No one is immune. Our ‘Give With Your Heart’ campaign highlights how mental health is at the heart of all of our stories. We invite everyone to donate to our heart wall to be a part of bringing hope, help, and healing to our community,” states Beth Anne Dorman, President & CEO of For All Seasons.

Visit givewithyourheart.org to watch For All Seasons’ mental health stories and to participate in the “Give With Your Heart” campaign.

For All Seasons is also looking for individual and business sponsors for the online event. Sponsorship includes recognition during the seven-day campaign, media coverage, and more. For sponsorship information, contact Lauren Weber, Vice President of Philanthropy and Education, at [email protected] or (410) 822-1018.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org.