|
About Us
Seattle Children's Home provides services for Washington's emotionally and developmentally challenged children to help them live normal, productive lives. Our unique path of assessment, treatment and follow-up has proven successful in thousands of cases over the last decade.
Seattle Children's Home works in ways that honor diversity in values and culture, and is built on client and family strengths and knowledge. Combining tenderness of care with effective programs and one-of-a-kind services, the people and programs at Seattle Children's Home believe in building on family foundations and the strengths of the individual child.
Our Mission
"Seattle Children's Home helps children and their families by providing comprehensive mental health and developmental services."
In 2005, the Department of Social and Health Services estimates that there are over 74,000 of Washington state's children and youth who are in need of mental health services. In response to this need, Seattle Children's Home gathered together a group of clinicians that each has unique expertise including developmental pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, family therapists and more. These clinicians make up the treatment team for each child and it is their mission to create and guide a plan that takes a child through stabilization and assessment, treatment, and reintegration into the community.
Today, Seattle Children's Home is respected throughout the community for addressing the emotional and behavioral health needs of our state's most seriously emotionally disturbed children.
Click HERE for a
document listing
Quick Facts about
Seattle Children’s Home.
:: Return to Top
Success Stories
Robby (age 10)
Robby had been treated in the mental health system with limited success since he was three years old, but further testing showed that his intellectual capacity was, in fact, far below the criteria for traditional mental health treatment. This refined diagnosis allowed Robby to be appropriately enrolled in services for the developmentally disabled, where he can find success at the level of his abilities.
Amanda (age 16)
Amanda is sixteen-years-old. She has been through numerous foster homes and school settings. She is acting out more and more. Clearly, Amanda is a child in need of quality care. Amanda is recommended for the Pediatric Assessment Center (PAC) by a mental health professional and a packet of information is prepared. This packet includes Amanda's social history, medical history, tests, school reports and family information-any information that would help create a picture of Amanda's strengths and challenges. On Clinic Day at the PAC, a treatment team is brought in to discuss Amanda's needs, and the team studies Amanda's file and meets with Amanda's family around what needs for care Amanda may have. Based on the assessment made by the treatment team, Amanda is given intensive neuropsychological testing along with a neurodevelopmental pediatric assessment. At this point it emerges that Amanda suffers a hearing loss and she is mentally challenged.
She can not hear what the teacher is saying, and she is not mentally able to perform at grade level.
Suddenly, Amanda's misbehavior makes sense. This diagnosis is then applied to Amanda's life. Amanda is now able to go to a specialized classroom where she can learn, and she is given a hearing aid. Amanda's family is connected to other families who have children with hearing problems. Therapists work with the school to develop an individualized learning plan for Amanda. The PAC is able to change Amanda's life and continues to work with the people who are potential resources in Amanda's life.
:: Return to Top
Mary (age 14)
Mary came to Seattle Children's Home when she was 14 years old. She had been in and out of treatment facilities for the past 10 years. She was failing in school due to "behavior problems." More often than not, these behavior problems forced Mary to stay at home or with relatives rather than attend school. Her behavior problems steadily grew worse over time, and she began to hurt herself - cutting herself and taking "overdoses" of vitamins and aspirin that she would immediately report to her caretakers. Finally, Mary was placed in the Children's Long-term Inpatient Treatment program with the McGraw Center at Seattle Children's Home.
Shortly after her arrival, Mary went through the Pediatric Assessment Center. Staff discovered that Mary had very low cognitive performance abilities but near normal cognitive verbal abilities. That meant that Mary was very good at acting as if she understood what was going on around her and what people were telling her. In fact, Mary often had no idea what the adults and others around her expected and the problem behaviors were Mary's way to avoid following instructions she did not understand. This tactic had enabled her to avoid admitting she did not know what people expected, and it had disguised her cognitive disability from others.
The Children's Home staff constructed a treatment and educational plan that was targeted for her actual abilities. Within three months, the problem behaviors were reduced by more than 80%. Mary was able to return home, and she was placed in an appropriate special education program. The staff also helped her family understand the diagnosis and taught them skills that assisted Mary in understanding what was expected of her. As a result, Mary is better able to deliver on those expectations and feels more competent as a human being. Mary has been living at home for a little more than a year without a serious or major incident.
Jonathon (age 17)
This year Seattle Children's Home held its fourth annual summer picnic celebration at Madrona Park. Children who are living at SCH gathered with staff to celebrate the end of the school year. Hot dogs and hamburgers were a big hit, but the star attraction was a young person who celebrated his graduation from the SCH branch of the Seattle Public School system. This single graduate and valedictorian was the first student to graduate from the SCH classroom with a full high school diploma. His success is an inspiration to all of the children at SCH who struggle with emotional, mental, and developmental challenges.
So often success stories such as our first graduation, or a young person's recovery and reintegration into the community, are stories only family members and staff know about. We wanted to take a moment here to share this story, thank all those who were involved, and to wish our children health and happiness.
:: Return to Top
Our History
Seattle Children's Home was founded in 1884 as Washington State's first children's charity. Within our history, we have seen the agency evolve from an orphanage to a child welfare agency to what it is today...A comprehensive mental health facility for children and young adults.
Click here for an historical slideshow
:: Return to Top
Board of Trustees
Ted McCaugherty, Chair
William Golding,
Chair-elect
Maryann Crissey, Secretary
Lee Hooks, Treasurer
Hon. Bobbe Bridge
Tina Demopulos
Tom Fitzsimmons
Matthew Grignon
Andy Kelly, Past Co-chair
Sally Pasette, Past Co-chair
Nat Penrose Jr.
Rena Ritchey
Kirsten Sands
Jim Snyder
Ben Straley
John Teutsch
:: Return to Top
|
|
 |
2142 10th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
Phone 206 283-3300
FAX 206 284-7843
Email Us
|
