Community Outreach Programs
Exciting things happen at New Beginnings Counseling Center. On any given day, you might see groups meeting, children taking part in play therapy, or couples working to carve out a new and better life together.
New Beginnings is open from morning to night, and turns no one away. Whether it is a young Latina fighting the cycle of poverty or a middle-aged baby boomer dealing with the pain of being laid off, we provide a listening ear and a caring heart.
We use volunteer intern counselors as a cost-effective means of delivering many of our services. They are doctoral and graduate level students who continue their training while working with us. As they master their craft, our clients receive high quality services. Our counselors’ work is closely supervised by experienced, licensed therapists – volunteers themselves, who contribute their expertise and experience.
Through a variety of programs, New Beginnings reaches over 100 people every week. Some come for education or to learn hands-on coping skills. The homeless who visit our center envision a life beyond the one they are leading. Still others are people like you and me. They come for help dealing with challenging life issues such as depression, traumatic loss, or even physical pain. The only thing about them is that they have limited funds available to devote to healing and renewal.
Almost everyone we see has one thing in common. They are looking for a new beginning. That is why we seek to be genuine purveyors of hope and possibility, igniting each individual’s dormant potential. We believe that optimism is contagious, and that the practical skills we offer can make a real and lasting difference in the lives of our clients and those that they love.
Life Skills Training and Parenting Program
While many people prosper in our community, many lack the tools necessary to compete in a multi-dimensional society. Working through an extensive network of collaborating agencies, we have identified people with great potential who are struggling to break the cycle of poverty. In order to help them we offer the Life Skills Training Program.
The program’s goal is to improve the lives of parents and their children by equipping them with important everyday skills. We teach everything from effective communication techniques to parenting and problem solving. Participants learn how to take better are of themselves and their children through instruction in diet, nutrition and stress reduction. We make sure they have access to medical care, and teach them to spot the danger signs of substance abuse. They learn alternatives to lashing out in anger and frustration when trouble lurks in their life.
The Life Skills Training Program has been designed to make permanent change in people’s lives. We use nationally recognized tests before and after participants complete the program in order to insure that they have not only learned important skills, but are applying them to the problems they are encounter everyday. We believe that success breeds success. When people experience success in dealing with their children and their spouses, they become motivated to return to school or enter a vocational training program that can improve their lives.
A major difference between this program and similar ones offered by other social service agencies is that we follow each participant’s progress for nine months. They attend two-hour group educational session every week, followed up by individual weekly mentoring and support services. The support and encouragement they receive from other group members is a major factor in helping them take the necessary steps to succeed in life.
Spanish applicationYouth Outreach Program
New Beginnings feels a special responsibility to the youth of our community. It is especially tough growing up in our fast-paced, complex society. Many parents struggle to make ends meet, leaving too many children unsupervised. When only one parent is present, the problems multiply. We work with high-risk youth who are living in troubled homes. Often substance abuse and violence are the norm. Our staff collaborates with local schools, identifying those needing a different parental model, and inviting them to participate in group counseling. Working with both male and female counselor, these teens have a chance to learn about living a productive life. Participants in the program tell us that this time is the most meaningful part of their week and for many the only opportunity to see a man and a woman working cooperatively with each other.
Jail Prevention Program
We added a fourth community-based program this year by taking the essence of our Life Skills program and creating a Jail Prevention Program. Realizing that 84% of people who go to county jail end up returning, we believe we can help these folks find a better option. These groups meet weekly and help the inmates develop an action plan that will keep them drug free and clear of the judicial system. Currently the New Beginning’s program in the county jail is showing a recidivism rate of 34%. With a gift from two valued donors, we offer this program to over 50 inmates every six weeks. We have the endorsement of the sheriff and the courts as well. We are tracking arrest records when the inmates are released to measure the further success of this innovative program. .
Homeless Outreach Program
Our Safe Parking Program provides an important service for people living in vehicles. Our Homeless Outreach Team, Nancy Kapp and Roslyn Scheuerman, meet with perspective clients and after assessing their life situation places them in one of 21 locations provided by local churches and non-profits including a county and city parking lot adjoining the administrative building. Currently over 110 people participate in this program. The Safe Parking Project has been featured on national ABC News, NPR, California Connected, CNN, as well as featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. This program is recognized as a unique way for local people to solve a local problem with a collaborative effort and has begun to be modeled in other communities.
Our Case Managers also provides job and housing assistance to any homeless person needing help. From our office at the Salvation Army, Nancy Kapp and Roslyn Scheuerman meet with clients referred from Casa Esperanza, the Salvation Army or the Safe Parking Project to help them find housing or jobs. Interested parties should direct their calls to Nancy at (805) 284-3463 or Ros at (805) 637-6242.