BLOOMINGTON — When children experience emotional trauma, the consequences may outweigh those of physical abuse, two child welfare experts told a McLean County mental health advisory panel Tuesday.
Adverse childhood experiences affect a person in different ways throughout a lifetime, Stephanie Barisch, regional clinical supervisor with the Center for Child and Family Solutions, told the County Board's panel studying best practices for mental health programs.
"We've gone backwards. Many of the ways we were working with children and families has been lost in recent years," said Barisch.
Among the factors that may affect children are mental illness, drug addiction or domestic violence of a family member, she said.
Integrated services to address all aspects of a person's health save community resources and help people lead more productive lives, according to the presentation by Barisch and retired school psychologist Corey Tello.
Several local agencies are providing services to the birth-to-5-year-old population who need assistance. The problem, said Tello, is the need is many times greater than the group of 1,600 children and families who receive services through the All Our Kids Early Childhood Network.
"It's not enough. What makes me sad is that at age 5, it's done," said Tello, who works with the State of Board of Education's Technical Assistance Collaboration.
Photo Credit: http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/
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