As the effects of the pandemic continue to impact the mental health of children and teens across the region, a South Jersey mental health practice is working to expand access to therapy services for families.
The Thrive Network partners with schools in Camden County, and through the program, administrators can refer students who may be struggling with trauma to the organization’s practitioners.
Co-founder Lorenzo McFadden said the practice’s efforts include enrolling uninsured families in Medicaid, which helps families pay for treatment.
“We start working with the young children at a very early age so we can catch them before some of the problems escalate,” McFadden said.
These efforts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the percentage of students who feel persistently sad or hopeless increased to 42% in 2021.
Karen Glenney, clinical director of The Thrive Network, demonstrated one of the techniques therapists use to help children express their emotions.
Therapists sometimes let children play with toy people or movie characters in a sandbox.
“We can really get a lot of information based on the position of how they are, and based on the types of miniatures that go into the sandbox,” Glenney said. “They use them to represent something in the sandbox, depending on what they are doing.”
Katie Arcand’s daughter, Ava Cortez, got to play in the sandbox as a patient at The Thrive Network.
“During the pandemic, around that time, Ava was having issues with life transition and how things were changing at the time,” Arcand said. “It was important to me to have someone we could both talk to.”
Arcand said Cortez got the help she needed and is now doing well.
Cortez said, “They were really nice and they talked to me!”
The Thrive Network has also introduced music and art therapy classes to Camden high schools to show teens what therapy looks and feels like, with the aim of removing the stigma some feel about seeking help.
Brandon Goudner
