 No Longer Alone – STARRY Offers DivorceCare For Parents and Kids
Divorce can be a tough time for a family, full of loneliness, questions and fear. Thanks to a generous grant from Chaparral Women’s Club, there is somewhere to turn in Williamson County when families face those struggles. DivorceCare, a national curriculum usually offered through churches, will be implemented beginning in September as a STARRY Counseling Program group. It’s a topic that is often broached during counseling sessions with staff, but until now has not been addressed on its own.
Divorce Care Starts September September 14
“We’ve wanted to help with the issue for a long time,” said STARRY Counseling Program Supervisor Richard Singleton. “Now, thanks to the grant, we can now accomplish that through a structured resource.” Singleton notes that many issues faced by youth and adults stem from a divorce situation, either in the past or currently. That is one reason DivorceCare will include a kids component. Known as DC4K (DivorceCare for Kids), the program’s topics parallel those covered during the adult sessions. School-age children up to age 12 can participate. “We want kids to know that they are not alone,” said Jessica Larson, STARRY Youth Services Specialist in charge of DC4K. “A lot of children feel like (the divorce) is their fault. We help them learn to cope with those feelings and understand that’s just not true.” The 13-week program covers topics such as facing anger, financial survival and forgiveness, among others. A news magazine-formatted video opens up the topics through personal interviews with others who have experienced issues surrounding divorce. The grant from the Chaparral Women’s Club allowed STARRY to purchase curriculum components. While DivorceCare is mostly geared toward couples who have experienced a marital breakup, it can also benefit people still dealing with long-held frustrations from their parents’ divorce. “If something is happening to parents, it’s happening to the children,” Singleton said. “It just so happens that children, at the time, don’t have the processing skills to understand or deal with the event as it’s happening. Those feelings can affect them in many ways as adults.” One benefit of experiencing DivorceCare through STARRY is the availability of a professional counseling staff eager to help. If a child or adult is struggling deeply with divorce, they can seek individual counseling on site at no charge. “It’s always STARRY’s goal to help families cope with whatever issues they are facing,” said Singleton. “This is just one more way we can be of service to the community. And we’re happy to be able to offer such a much-needed resource.”
That resource also comes with a spiritual message. Children will be given a Bible verse to memorize, while adults will discuss growing closer to God in the last session. “Ultimately, we want people to walk away with hope after being part of DivorceCare,” Singleton said. “So many going through divorce are ashamed or afraid. Once they come through this program, they will be able to let go of the past and move forward without the burden of what was.” For more information on DivorceCare contact the STARRY Counseling Program at (512) 388-8290, email Jessica Larson.
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