Harm Less Kids

More than likely, you’re reading this because you have come upon a situation where a child is working to get his or her needs met in a way that is not typical, and so is drawing the attention of the general public.

First, thank you for being a champion for child safety and stopping to be sure this child is safe.

Please be assured that I am with an organization that helps children with behavioral challenges or who have experienced trauma, remain in their homes and communities while practicing different skills and responses to stress.

AHTL partners with counties and families to keep kids who have experienced trauma, safe and out of hospitals or detention centers.

Depending on what’s happening, you may be wondering why I don’t just call the police?

That’s a great question—to find the answer, please check out the article below from Advocates founder and CEO, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Dan Holstead, to learn more about the repercussions of police involvement when children make mistakes.

Advocates has a very special mission that begins with building trusting relationships with kids. It takes time and consistency. As part of Advocates’ Core Values, when working with kids, we avoid:

• shaming, insulting, or demeaning
• punitive consequences
• instilling fear
• intimidation
• asserting dominance or power
• use of physical force
• initiating or engaging in power struggles
• threatening
• use of emotional, physical, or verbal aggression

Many of those actions are probably discipline styles you may use or grew up with. While they’re effective in the short term for some kids, we find that taking a longer-term approach to our healing work creates better outcomes for children who have experienced trauma. I am working through some of these techniques now—it takes time!

If you have questions about the work we do or my relationship with this child, please call (920) 764-2485.

If by the time you’re done reading this and evaluating the situation, you feel police intervention is still needed, you’re welcome to call. Thank you for taking the time to understand your role in this situation.