Wonders & Worries

Wonders & Worries
FormationAugust 8, 2001
FounderMeredith Cooper, MA, CCLS, LPC and Melissa Hicks, MS, CCLS, LPC, RPT
Location
  • Austin, Texas
Staff18
Websitewww.wondersandworries.org

Wonders & Worries is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) based in Austin, Texas, that provides professional support for children through a parent's illness, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, posttraumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's disease.[1][2]

Services are provided without charge in English or Spanish by a Certified Child Life Specialist to families in Central Texas.[3] Pilot programs have been implemented in Raleigh, North Carolina;[4] Ottawa, Canada;[5] and San Antonio, Texas. A randomized clinical trial for the organization's curriculum is underway.[6]

History

Wonders & Worries was launched with the support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), which provided funding in spring 2001 to conduct a pilot support group for children who had a parent with cancer.[7] LAF provided an additional grant in fall 2001 to expand services to include a school-age support group, an adolescent support group, individual counseling for children who have a parent with cancer, and quarterly social functions to reunite Wonders & Worries clients.[8]

Services

Individual Sessions: for children aged 2–18yrs

Group Sessions: helping children aged 5+ meet other children coping with similar experiences

Child/Parent Relationship Training Classes: teaching parents how to reconnect with their children during an illness or following a loss

Informal Support / Recreational Group Activities – allowing families to enjoy being together in a fun, relaxing environment

Bereavement Support Sessions – helping families prepare for the end of life and gain skills that will help them cope with the loss[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wonders & Worries: A family's illness. A child's journey". Hospice of Wake County. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  2. ^ "General Cancer Resources". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  3. ^ Taylor, Lyndsey (February 28, 2013). "Kids with seriously ill parents find support". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Hosopice of Wake County creates children's counseling program". Wake Living Published Quarterly. November 23, 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  5. ^ "It's Personal-Cancer Foundation News". Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Wonders & Worries: A Clinical Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for Children Who Have a Parent With Cancer - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov". clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  7. ^ Balletta, Nick (18 January 2013). "Balletta: After All the Lies Can Lance Armstrong 'EmergeStrong?". CNBC.
  8. ^ "Livestrong Milestones". Livestrong Foundation. 12 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Wonders & Worries Services".