A few months ago I became a mother myself. After more than a decade of working with children and parents, I now understand a deeper level of what parenting is all about and what a gigantic responsibility it is. Being the caregiver of a vulnerable little person who depends solely on me has showed me a different angle of what I do. Being the Children’s Mental Health Specialist at Doorways allows me to work with families in distress who are experiencing multiple barriers in their personal lives. My work constantly reminds me of how we, parents, are key elements for the well-being of our children, and how many of our families need all the support we can provide to be able to succeed, recover, and maintain the safety and stability that their children need to thrive.
Working with children exposed to violence in their homes and those who experienced homelessness is not an easy task. This month, we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month and May 9th, is designated as Children’s Mental Health Day. So how do we honor that day? It is an opportunity to acknowledge the difficult task that some of our children embrace when they lose their homes and the only world they know. In order to be safe, many of them have to leave everything behind (including friends, toys and favorite blanket). It is an important day to remember we were children one day and the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly had an impact in what we are today. Since we have been fortunate to make it this far, we all can take 5 minutes of our time to play or listen to the little ones that are learning from us. While my job is to create a safe place for children to heal and allowing them to tell their story, we all take part of creating a safer and better place for all our children.
What are you willing to do today?




Tomorrow marks the launch of the
Caroline Jones

