By: Jessica Travis, M.S. and Brittney Walters, LCSW No matter how hard adults try to shield children from having to encounter distressing news and tragedies, young people will still have access to what is occurring in the world, which can be terrifying for parents. In recent weeks...
At just 12-years-old, Jocelyn had her first encounter with CHRIS 180. Her grandmother was looking for help after taking in Jocelyn and her brother, in the wake of their mother’s issues with substance use. Knowing that both children had experienced significant trauma, the family turned...
There are infinite ways to practice mindfulness. Well-known mindfulness practices include breathing exercises, sensory activities, meditation and mindful movement like yoga. But any activity can be made mindful by “paying attention, on purpose” to it and maintaining non-judgmental thoughts about the activity. My strong interest and...
Almost two years from the day they first arrived at CHRIS 180’s Gateway to Adoption program, brothers Logan and Layne were adopted into their forever family! Sibling relationships can provide support, love, and stability, but siblings in foster care often experience separation. The data tells us...
Home for neighborhood matriarch will provide stability for young mothers CHRIS 180, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed holistic health services to children, youth and families, held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce the launch of a project to stabilize families on Atlanta’s Westside. CHRIS 180...
We all need rest to function well in each area of our lives. Sleep, exercise, video games and spending time with loved ones are a few examples of activities commonly used to recharge. But sometimes, what you think is a break is actually a form...
Children are small people with very big emotions. Although they can show you what they are feeling, most children have yet to attach a name to their feelings and have not learned healthy ways of dealing with their emotions. As children grow, they face many...
For Johnny Brown, Fatherhood Session Coordinator at CHRIS 180’s Cure Violence Atlanta program, helping fathers is a calling. “All of us are on this journey of being fathers,” Johnny shared. “We work with participants to learn the life skills to be able to work, stay out...
Valancia Abdullah considers it her calling to care for youth who some may think of as “challenged.” After working with special needs students at Atlanta Public Schools, in 2000, she joined CHRIS 180’s foster care program. She serves as a Resident Assistant. The kids affectionately...
Did you know that children are now seen as the silent victims of the opioid epidemic? CHRIS 180’s HERO Program (Helping Restore Children and Families Affected by the Opioid Epidemic), was created to provide direct services, psychoeducational training and a community coalition aimed at expanding...