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Metro
EMBRACING KIDS
Meeting The Need from page 11
friends, teachers and administrators. It's
a nationwide problem that mental health
experts say is leading to increasing num-
bers of teens self-medicating by ingesting
drugs, attempting to relieve their anxiety
by injuring or cutting themselves or, at
worst, committing suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta, teen suicide is the third
leading cause of death, behind accidents
and homicide, of people aged 15 to 24.
Even more disturbing, it is the fourth lead-
ing cause of death for children between
the ages of 10 and 14.
"If you are hurting enough, you will
turn to something;' Nyman said. "There
are not adequate services in the communi-
ty for kids with emotional and behavioral
disorders. This program is so badly need-
ed. We want these kids to feel successful,
to be a part of the community"
A Nightmare
If only the program had been up and run-
ning two years ago, wishes a local father
of two whose son has been through the
behavioral disorder mill.
What began with behavioral issues at
school, elevated to serious issues at home
and with friends. The parents quickly
sought help from their pediatrician, psy-
chiatrists, psychologists, neurologists and
a battery of other "experts." The family
spent thousands of dollars trying to find
out what was wrong with their son. They
got just about every diagnosis.
"They just kept throwing all these
medications at him; we were lost:' said the
father, who turned to Kadima because he
didn't know where else to go.
The parents found they were not alone.
Four years ago, Kadima launched an
advocacy and support group for parents
of kids with emotional disorders led by
licensed counselor Lisa Kaufman. Today,
20 families meet monthly to learn coping
skills, how to advocate for appropriate
services and to share their stories with
parents with similar challenges.
"Kadima's Family Advocacy and
Support Group continues to fill a growing
need in the community:' Kaufman said.
"Our group provides a safe and supportive
venue to discuss the challenges that fami-
lies with an emotionally or behaviorally
diagnosed child face.
"As a therapist, I help the families advo-
cate for appropriate care for their children
and, as a group, each member has one
another to lean on for support, encourage-
ment and understanding."
Until now, Kadima could not offer much
else.
"Families feel that Kadima is their
advocate; it is a place for direction on how
to navigate the system, on how to get the
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proper help — medical, mental health and
judicial;' said Shallal. Her own professional
support system includes Nyman; Nancy
Stein, LMSW, clinical director; Judith
Shewach, LMSW, administrative director;
and Paula Schonberg, event planner. Their
guess is that once word gets out, they
won't have a problem finding 45 young
people — the number they hope to assist
in the program's first year — who need
their help.
"We know that the sooner the interven-
tion, the better the outcome Shewach said.
Nowhere Else To Turn
Usually, parents of children exhibit-
ing behavioral and emotional disorders
rely on their pediatrician, the schools or
friends for direction. But, with no cen-
tral agency managing children's mental
health services, where to turn becomes
a real mystery. The lack of comprehen-
sive resources for parents trying to get
an essential early diagnosis, and then
treatment, is startling. Shallal estimates
that around 6 percent of Michigan's com-
munity mental health budget, and only 4
percent of Oakland County's, is allocated
directly to children and adolescents.
"Parents are new at this; it's a puzzle
said Shallal. An intricate labyrinth is more
accurate. Schools — already stretched
thin — cannot adequately diagnose these
diseases that often manifest in subtle
ways, like kids having a hard time making
friends or being withdrawn. Conduct dis-
orders and anxiety can easily be misun-
derstood. Then, there is the stigma.
"It was so humiliating;' remembered
one father. "Imagine walking into your
child's school and everyone looking down
at you like you've done something wrong.
We're a normal family; we have good val-
ues. But our son's problems were beyond
our control:'
Today, his son is off nearly all his
medications, is back in school and doing
fantastically. The father credits his family's
association with Kadima for helping them
navigate the system.
For this family and hundreds of oth-
ers throughout Metro Detroit caring for
a loved one with a mental or emotional
illness, Kadima is a refuge, a much-needed
respite from the world of normal.
25 Years Of Caring
Established in 1984, Kadima's roots trace
back to the recession of the 1980s and
the exodus of the Jewish population from
Detroit to the suburbs. It was at this time,
when the synagogues, agencies and Jewish
people had vanished from the city, that
many noticed who had been left behind —
Jewish adults with mental illness. And not
just a few, said Shallal. Hundreds of forgot-
ten individuals lived without community
support in cheap motels, group homes that
were barely habitable, and on the streets.
It did not take much convincing to gath-
er a large group of Jewish leaders to com-
mit themselves to ensuring that this popu-
lation would have access to an improved
quality of life, reconnect them to Judaism
and to the community, and provide access
to critical services and appropriate shelter.
It was a lost population that found a family.
Five families funded the purchase of the
first group home in 1984, a residence that
Artwork done by Kadima clients
continues to provide housing for six clients.
A few years later, in 1989, Kadima
expanded its housing services through
funding from Oakland County
Community Mental Health (OCCMH)
and, in partnership with Jewish Vocational
Services, launched the groundbreaking
supported employment program, the first
of its kind in the state. JVS staff accom-
panies Kadima clients to the workplace,
guiding them through training and orien-
tation so that each client can experience
important independence and contribute
to his/her own sustenance. More than
200 individuals have gained employment
through this hands-on program.
In the years since its founding, Kadima's
focus has not wavered but only been
bolstered. The agency, which receives 60
percent of its funding from OCCMH and
the balance from donations and grants,
provides residential, therapeutic and sup-
port programs, and recreational activities
for adults with mental illness.
Today, 200-plus clients are tended to by
Kadima's passionate, dedicated staff who
oversee the operation of 25 group homes,
employment preparedness and coaching,
counseling and community education.
Recreational activities have become one of
the agency's most important programs.
In 2005, Kadima opened the Lois and
Milton Y. Zussman Activity Center, located
on the lower level of the organization's
Henrietta and Herbert Charfoos Kadima
Center on 12 Mile Road in Southfield.
Every day, clients come to hang out and
dabble in arts and crafts projects, to sing
and play music, enjoy board games and
cards, read and take various self-improve-
ment classes. For the clients, it's a club of
their own; for the families and caregivers,
the Zussman center is a much-needed
safety net.
Sadly, though not surprisingly, over
the last few years as budgets continue to
be slashed, Kadima has seen an increase
in the number of clients seeking assis-
tance. Still, Shallal, Nyman and the board
of trustees knew the time had come to
expand services from adults
only to begin offering the same
caliber of help to children and
adolescents.
They approached the new
initiative carefully. Among the
studies undertaken was the
execution of a survey to 200
Southeast Michigan mental
health professionals asking
them to assess the need. They
overwhelmingly agreed the
area lacked proper resources
for kids.
For the most seriously ill
children who require hospital-
ization, only a few options exist. Hawthorn
Center in Northville, with 118 beds, is the
only state institution available for chil-
dren. Havenwyck Hospital in Auburn Hills
and Henry Ford's Kingswood Hospital in
Ferndale, in addition to their adult pro-
grams, have in-patient beds for children. If
appropriate, Kadima will refer children to
these hospitals. For the most part, what is
needed most are comprehensive diagnostic
and out-patient therapeutic services, and a
reliable resource for parents.
"We only start a program when the
community asks for it:' said Shallal. "We're
here for the lifetime of the individual so
people never have to feel alone'
Kadima has never shut down a pro-
gram because of lack of funding. Staff
has never been laid off staff, even in these
hard times, and not once has any of its
programs stopped because of a lack of
interest. Shallal expects the Child and
Adolescent Program will be the same.
"If we're too successful, somehow we'll
meet the need:' she said. "We'll serve as
many as need us:'
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If you believe your child is
suffering from an emotional or
behavioral disorder such as ADHD,
depression, bipolar disorder, an
eating disorder or drug abuse,
you can contact Kadima at
(248) 559-8235. Donations to
support the Child and Adolescent
Program also are being accepted.