For over 35 years, Family Centre has been providing critical subsidised child and family programmes and services to the Bermuda community. Family Centre is the only nonprofit mental health organisation for children ages 4-18 in Bermuda that is not hospital or government based.

We are proud to be an internationally accredited, Bermuda-registered charity committed to supporting the positive development of Bermuda’s children, teens, and their families. We aim to empower children, youth, and families to reach their full potential through innovative counselling services, community outreach programmes, and advocacy initiatives. Family Centre embraces a "Wraparound" system of care in our programmes, while reducing financial barriers to access our support delivered through the following strategies:

Counselling Services
Family Centre Counselling Services offer a confidential atmosphere of trust, support and acceptance which allows children and teens ages 4-18 and their families to explore their emotional, social and behavioural challenges in a non-judgmental, safe environment with highly trained professionals, at no cost to families. Our staff aim to guide families out of crisis, create safety networks for them and rebuild positive relationships through skill development and empowerment.

Family Centre helps children with:

• Aggressive and/or Acting Out Behaviours
• Adjustment Challenges
• Impulse Control
• Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
• Symptoms of Trauma
• Grief and Loss
• School Issues
• Family Relationships and Communication
• Behaviour Management
• Anger Management and Conflict Resolution
• Life Skills (communication, organisational skills, time management, social skills, co-parenting)

Family Centre Counselling Services include:

Screening and Referral

Screening and Referral services offer families the opportunity to share their issues and receive recommendations for how to address their challenges through either internal referral to our programmes and services and/or receive referrals for other service providers who can best address their needs.

Triage

Triage services respond to the many inquiries that Family Centre receives for therapeutic services from people of all ages. Some people require a one month intervention in order to stabilize their immediate crisis. Others require brief counselling and advocacy to help them communicate needs and connect successfully with new resources.

Counselling and Family Support Services

Counselling and Family Support services provide longer-term, wraparound intervention.  Our child and family counselling service occurs in the home, school, office, or another community setting that feels most comfortable for the client. Our Family Support Specialists work with our qualified Counsellors to provide school-based support and case management for our client families as needed.

Social Skills Groups

Social Skills Groups are run after-school and are designed to increase children’s social and communication skills so that they can better self-regulate and develop healthy relationships. Groups are created around various themes appropriate for different developmental stages. Children learn through direct discussion, as well as role-playing and therapeutic games and activities with peers designed to introduce and strengthen specific social-emotional skills.

Family Groups

Family Groups are run on Monday evenings. These psychoeducational group sessions aim to guide families in problem solving family challenges such as discipline issues, stress management, budgeting, bonding, co-parenting and blended families, etc. with a goal of creating healthier functioning home environments for parents and children alike. The groups are free of charge for families, and dinner and childcare are offered.

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Community Programmes
Family Centre's Community Programmes help to develop confident young people and create access to services for those who might not otherwise reach us. These programmes promote and teach teamwork, decision making, leadership, social skills, self-regulation and the satisfaction that comes from working to one’s fullest potential. They include Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), Beyond Rugby (BR) Bermuda and Beyond Yoga (BY) Bermuda.

Beyond Rugby Bermuda – CedarBridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute

Beyond Rugby (BR) Bermuda supports and inspires youth to reach their full potential on and off the rugby field. This twice a week after school rugby programme provides youth with academic and social-emotional supports, as well as exposure to character and vision building experiences. By combining rugby coaching expertise with the therapeutic skill of Family Centre’s Community Team, Beyond Rugby helps youth to develop as people and as athletes.

BR currently runs in both public senior schools: CedarBridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute. This accredited programme is trauma informed and strengths based. Staff are specifically trained to recognize and work with youth who may demonstrate trauma-based behaviours. Youth are provided with a snack, a meal and transportation home after each practice and are provided with crisis support on an as needed basis. BR is designed to decrease barriers to participation, promote high levels of youth engagement, provide young people with the supports they need to overcome their challenges and make lasting positive changes in their lives. The intentionality and intensity of the effort to holistically support youth is what makes the programme exceptional and effective.

Beyond Yoga Bermuda  – Dellwood Middle School

Beyond Yoga is a programme that involves the teachings and practice of yoga & mindfulness with education about the stress response system and how it works in the body.  Introducing yoga practices to students helps to develop self-awareness, self-control and self-respect so that they can move forward in life with dignity and opportunity.

This programme with Dellwood Middle School students includes all the “Beyond” programme pillars: academic support, social and emotional skill building, character development through sport/activity and vision and exposure building.

Youth Leadership Academy (YLA):

Established in 2011, YLA is a 3 phase, 4.5-year leadership training programme targeting youth who have typically experienced significant loss, trauma, or other risk factors, and who are unlikely to participate in other youth programmes. The Youth Leadership Academy programme is run in partnership with Dellwood Middle School and Impact Mentoring Academy (IMA). Dellwood and IMA students are specifically selected by the school’s staff for enrolment in YLA. The programme is intentionally designed to provide youth the supports they require to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Staff identify the unique strengths and needs of youth and work with youth and families in four key areas: Leadership, Academics and Employment, Environmental Factors, and Personal Factors. YLA is strength based and trauma informed. The programme has three phases, each of which builds off the one before to help youth develop their leadership skills one step at a time. These three phases are:

Phase 1: Youth Leadership Intensive (YLI) is a week long programme that aims to bring youth and adults together in order to increase the understanding both adults in the community and youth participants have of themselves and others. It also teaches teens skills such as public speaking, making positive choices, cooperation, and habits related to setting and pursuing positive life goals.

Phase 2: Youth Leadership Academy  (YLA) Foundations is a 5 month after-school programme that exposes youth to new and fun experiences, and empowers them to make positive decisions and to realize their full leadership potential through participation in community projects and activities.

Phase 3: Youth Leadership Community (YLC) offers the young person ongoing transformative experiences and individualized support through high-school to help them realize their unique skills, passion and leadership style and perform at their best in and out of school.

Along their 4.5 year journey youth are coached to take responsibility for their academic and career growth, develop a positive sense of belonging, demonstrate self-awareness, better decision making and resilience, and to improve themselves and their community. YLA supports youth to recognize their gifts, fulfil their potential and to become self-sufficient, engaged citizens.

YLA Building My Future Summer Internship Programme:

High school students in YLA phase three (YLC) also have the opportunity to participate in a summer internship programme called “Building My Future”.  At the end of the internship, they share their summer experience and what they have learned with the community at a showcase event.

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Collective Action
Advocacy initiatives and capacity building services allow us to get out in front of the issues that affect families, help build community capacity and allow us to speak for those whose voices have not been heard. These services are aimed at primary prevention by changing the environment, so children receive better opportunities for wellbeing at home, at school and in the community.

Building the capacity of those who care for children and shape their lives:

– Public Advocacy Campaigns and Messaging
– Parent, Student, and Community Psychoeducation Workshops and Panels

Working together with partners to more effectively serve vulnerable children and families:

Systemic Agency Collaborations:
– Youth Development Learning Community (YDLC)
– Adolescent Mental Health Research Working Group
– Mental Health Forum
– Mental Health Anti-Stigma Group
– Healthy Schools Committee
– Multidisciplinary Case Management Committee

Group Memberships:
– Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda (formerly IAC Bermuda)
– Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Bermuda
– Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Nonprofit Division

Consultations