We recently received a letter from a young man who has been involved in our Transition Age Youth program. It warmed our hearts to hear, in his own words, what it felt like to overcome many of his challenges and gain hope for the future. We want to share his letter with you, but first let's answer the questions that you may have...

What are Transition Age Youth?

Transition Age Youth are clients between 15 and 24 years old who are moving towards adulthood and in many cases, independence. This is a critical time for them to receive support and guidance, especially those in foster care who may still be overcoming trauma and lack a standard family support structure. Our Transition Age Youth, or TAY programs focus on equipping clients with the skills they need to function as highly as possible. Our services address all identified transition needs including employment, educational opportunities, living situations, community life, medication, mental health, physical well being, drug and alcohol use, trauma, domestic violence, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

Genell Restivo has worked at Victor for the past 32 years. When asked what has kept her there so long she said it comes down to two things, the work and the people. Victor has always been a mission driven organization dedicated to helping children and families. The quality of work that Victor does has always drawn Genell in and kept her engaged. Having coworkers that are equally engaged in the mission and supportive of one another is the other major element of her longevity with the company and ultimately the success of the organization.

We work with teens and young adults every day here at Victor. Many of our employees have their own children as well, so we are no stranger to the role that social media is playing in their lives. We try to communicate with kids about their online presence. It's good to set time limits and certain boundaries, but there's no denying that social media will be a part of their lives and follow them into adulthood. 

There are the obvious issues like cyberbullying and inappropriate content, but research shows there are more subtle issues that can develop in teens and young adults as a result of overuse and reliance on social media. Increased feelings of depression, isolation and anxiety can result from an unhealthy relationship with social media. These issues have become more prevalent in youth, but also affect adults when we form bad habits regarding our social media and online habits. In an article published by Psychology Today they explore this issue a little deeper. They ask some important questions and present some interesting findings, such as "College students have surpassed the elderly as the loneliest segment of the population."

At Victor we are all about helping others, it's our business and our passion. Helping others improves their lives, while improving our communities and ourselves. There is so much emphasis on self-discovery and self-promotion today, that it's easy to forget that our identity though unique, is still built on the foundation of community. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

At Victor, we talk a lot about values, our guiding principles which help us achieve our mission "to be a catalyst for sustained improvement in the lives of those we touch." There is a common misconception that things like mission statements and core values are marketing jargon, without real substance. From our point of view this could not be further from the truth.

Our core values guide our organization on a daily basis. From the decisions we make, to how we interact with clients and staff members, every small decision and every large one is guided by our organizations values. There are some important benefits to having a common set of core values both externally and inside an organization. So what are our core values and what do they mean?

Psychiatry Online published an article on the success of Wraparound programs in helping troubled youth. They offer an interesting perspective on the role of a Psychiatrist collaborating with the wraparound team. The article also highlights an opportunity for the Psychiatrist to work more closely with the wraparound team for better outcomes.

Our most recent client success story comes from Christina Thrower, M.A. one of our School Based Facilitators at Victor Stockton. We believe in celebrating the success of both our staff and clients, so if you have a good story please share it with us! You can check out our growing list of staff stories by clicking here.

In a recent collaboration with Children's Network in San Bernardino County, Victor participated in a Nurturing Fathers training. It was a great success and serves as an example of the power of teamwork, one of our core values. Networking and coordinating with other agencies helps us improve our services and further our mission to be a catalyst for sustained improvement in the lives of those we touch.

Juan Solis, the engagement coordinator for Children's Network, and chair of the Inland Empire Father Involvement Coalition (IEFIC) played a key role in making this happen. The stated mission of the IEFIC is "To encourage healthy child development by promoting the involvement, necessity and value of the role of fathers in the family and community." This mission aligns so well with what we do at Victor, we were excited to get involved. Mr. Solis took a moment to sit down for an interview with our own Samantha Tito, who is a SART (Screening, Assessment, Referral and Treatment) Clinical Supervisor in San Bernardino. As many of you may already know, the SART program focuses specifically on clients from birth to age 5, a critical stage in development where having a father figure present and engaged is extremely important.

Recently, the staff at Victor Hemet came together to talk about the culture and values of Victor. Joseph Olvera, from our Lake Elsinore office, helped them tell their stories and illustrate them in a unique and creative way. It's always great to see our staff having fun and celebrating the culture that Victor promotes! 

The old saying "It takes a village to raise a child" continues again and again to prove itself true. A child needs a community to help become fully developed mentally, emotionally and socially. So how does this affect our approach to treatment? In a word, collaboration.