AllOne Charities Awards Grant to Help Young People Understand Addiction
Children’s Book Explains Recovery, Focuses on Keeping Families Together

Storytelling does not just happen at bedtime or around campfires. It is a part of our daily lives – from books we read, to movies we watch, and stories we tell our family and friends. In health care, storytelling is a powerful tool that can help professionals engage patients in the healing process.

Through a $6,000 grant from AllOne Charities, Children’s Service Center (CSC) and Robinson Counseling Center (RCC) are collaborating with veteran educator and higher education faculty member Chris Simrell, Ed.D., to introduce her children’s book, Sidewalks, to the counseling and treatment setting. The book is written for elementary school-age children who have a parent or other family member with a substance use disorder.

Told through the experience and observations of a 9-year-old girl, the story recounts the child’s experience moving in with her grandmother and their neighborhood walks while the girl’s mother is undergoing treatment for a substance use disorder. Dr. Simrell created the book to “convey the concepts of addiction and recovery to help children better understand what is happening, and to feel more comfortable discussing their feelings and experiences.

“More often than not, children exposed to addiction may not have the necessary communication and support to ensure their emotional health and well-being. They are vulnerable due to the disruption and dysfunction that a drug or alcohol problem can cause in the family,” Dr. Simrell said.

Incorporated across therapeutic programs for children in conjunction with CSC’s Substance Use Disorder Program, the book is a resource for therapists who are working with children affected by a substance use disorder in the family.

AllOne Foundation & Charities Chief Executive Officer John Cosgrove said, “We have supported this creative resource to help build resiliency in children.  This project offers a personal approach to reach young people in a time when they need understanding to move forward.” 

Children exposed to a parent’s substance use commonly experience educational delays and inadequate medical and dental care and are at greater risk of developing mental health and behavioral problems and substance use disorders themselves, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (August 2016 Clinical Report, Vincent C. Smith, MD and Celeste R. Wilson, MD and Committee on Substance Use and Prevention). CSC is working to minimize that risk with creative and age-appropriate resources that help children thrive under difficult circumstances.

 Jessy Miller, Vice President, Programs at CSC/RCC, says, “Therapists have an opportunity to help break cycles of child neglect, abuse, and substance use, intervening when necessary, and collaborating with the family, other health care providers, and agencies to address the issues involved. We are pleased to bring this resource to our therapists to help children feel safe and connected to better understand their experience and support recovery in families throughout the region.”

Children’s Service Center celebrated 160 years of uninterrupted service in 2022, offering 26 programs in six locations and 19 school districts in NEPA. Together with its adult care affiliate, Robinson Counseling Center, this leading behavioral health network served 12,000 residents last year, while opening its Conyngham Primary Health Care Center in October of 2022 to integrate physical health services under one roof for people of all ages.

 How to Get a Copy of the Book

 A limited number of books are available to organizations and professionals who work with children who are experiencing substance use disorder in the family. Obtain a copy by calling 570-825-6425, ext. 805, or email Linda Wiseman, Director of Development, at lwiseman@e-csc.org.

Photo Left to right:   John Graham, Board Chairman, AllOne Foundation; John Cosgrove, CEO, AllOne Foundation and Charities; Peter Danchack, Board Chairman, AllOne Charities; Mike Hopkins, CSC’s President and CEO; Chris Simrell, Ed.D., the book’s author and director of Carriage Barn Academy, Scranton, and Dan Simrell, Owner at Simrell Media, Scranton. 

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