Salvation Army

Family Counseling

Salvation Army facilities cover wide geographic areas helping parents and their children cope with chronic social ills.

Many families are confronted with issues such as drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect; in addition to poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lack of job skills, and poor physical/mental health.

Through the work of trained professionals, The Salvation Army helps teach communication skills and loving behavior. Most notable of these services is the Bushwick Center for Families, a preventive services program located in Brooklyn. Caseworkers meet with families at least twice a month while working out a service plan to stabilize them. Child care is provided during group sessions.

In a typical case, a young father who had immigrated from Guyana suddenly found himself widowed and facing single parenthood. Not only were his children adjusting to the loss of their mother, they were also coping with a new environment. The Army helped the client apply for Medicaid so the children would have adequate health coverage. We also assisted in providing government-subsidized housing, food provisions and bereavement counseling.

All of our centers have programs designed to enrich family life. Many of them are life-skill oriented, such as budgeting, cooking and job training. And, in keeping with the Army's mission, families are strengthened through spiritual programs, Bible studies, Sunday School and more.

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