Monthly archive: August 2013

CHATTANOOGA, TN – (August 27, 2013)

On Friday, August 23, approximately 84 Hamilton County public school pre-K teachers received Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement Training (C.A.R.E.) from Richmont’s Community Counseling Center (RCCC) clinicians, Michelle Shelley and Anaely Hernandez-Johnson. Each educator received C.A.R.E. training free of charge thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.

“It was an honor to train Hamilton Country Pre-K teachers in C.A.R.E.,” said RCCC Director, Michelle Shelley. “These teachers are a vital part of their student’s lives and each teacher has an opportunity to make a mark on each of these children’s lives. We are thankful for their hard work with children in the Chattanooga community.”

C.A.R.E. training is unique because it is a trauma-informed modification of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy principles intended for use by non-clinical adults. In three hours, C.A.R.E. training prepared educators to better utilize three P’s – Praise, Paraphrase, and Point-Out Behavior – to improve their interactions with children. As a result of the training, Chattanooga educators are now equipped with techniques to:

• Give more effective directions that children are more likely to obey; increase positive and appropriate behaviors in children; and manage problematic behaviors more efficiently.
• Help decrease stress associated with caretaking and provide tips for parents on reducing child behavior problems at home, school and in public settings.
• Know which child-adult situations require praising, paraphrasing and pointing-out behavior and which ones require selective ignoring techniques to redirect behaviors.

After training, participants provided feedback such as:

• “You have done a great job. Keep up the great work. Some of our young teachers don’t have these skills and are frustrated with students.”
• “It was very informational and all pre-K-12 should have this training.”
• “Great job presenting! This was the best professional development we have had.”

Additionally, like the Community Foundation, Earth Fare and Acropolis Mediterranean contributed to the success of the C.A.R.E. training by donating materials and food items in order to encourage participation in the C.A.R.E. training event.

CHATTANOOGA, TN – (August 20, 2013)

Richmont clinician Anaely (Ani) Hernandez Johnson has been named a finalist for the 2013 Latino Leadership Award  and will be honored at the awards banquet on Monday, September 16, 2013.

“Ani is an extremely valuable member of Richmont’s clinical team and this nomination highlights her contributions to the health and growth of Chattanooga’s residents,” said Richmont Graduate University President Bob Rodgers. “We look forward to celebrating Ani and the other nine finalists with La Paz and the rest of the community.”

Hosted by La Paz Chattanooga, the Latino Leadership Award recognizes and honors Latino leaders who are supporting the Chattanooga community in meaningful ways.  At the upcoming banquet, La Paz will announce the final two distinguished recipients selected from the finalists for the Latino Leader of the Year award (selected by a special committee including La Paz staff and board members) and Chattanooga’s Choice leader of the year (selected through a community-wide vote). During this year’s banquet, opening remarks will be provided by Chattanooga’s mayor, Andy Berke, and the keynote address will be given by Dr. Julia Perilla of Georgia State University and the National Latino Network.

Since 2010, Ani has served the Chattanooga community as a bilingual Marriage and Family Therapist at Richmont Community Counseling Center. By offering bilingual counseling services, Ani has meaningfully addressed the realized deficit in mental health services accessible to the Latino Community. At present, she counsels children, adults, families and couples, and most of her work is trauma-related in some way. Additionally, over the last couple of years, she has built a collaborative relationship with La Paz Chattanooga by offering reduced fee counseling/mental health services to constituents and staff.

“Ani has become a vital part of the Richmont Community Counseling Center team since her days as a Richmont student,” said Richmont Community Counseling Center Director, Michelle Shelley. “Her heart for the underserved community, especially the Latino community is always apparent. She has been a tremendous asset to the center and to the community as one of the only bilingual therapists serving the Latino community in the Chattanooga area on a sliding scale basis. I am so proud to call her apart of the Community Counseling Center team and am grateful for her unfailing commitment to serving the underserved in the Chattanooga area.”