Famconnect Therapy Center

Everyone has a challenge in this life and some challenges need support and sometimes counseling to go through. Do not feel like you are alone. At FamConnect we offer a listening ear. We offer therapy. Get in touch with us and experience healing and inspiration. Past scars can shape us but do not define who we are.

Hey good people.
I hope we are all doing well. Famconnect Therapy Center is offering an online platform to discuss univeristy/college readiness with our young ones. We all know first year students need some bit of orientation on what to expect and a glimpse into the challenges they may face. For instance, after excelling in high school, how do they maintain focus, stay on track to achieve their life goals at the university or college? How do they handle the peer pressure and challenges posed with so much freedom? If you are a parent who has a student joining any college, keep it here. We will be sharing the poster with all the details soon. Meanwhile enjoy your Easter holiday.

Hallo good people,

Today I want us to talk about addiction. We all were, are or will be addicted to something in our lifetime. If it goes unchecked, it causes a lot of unnecessary suffering. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a form of addiction, and it is common.

I heard of someone who was insisting that her house manager, uses a set of one color of pegs to hang clothes. For example, she can only use white and change to another color e.g., blue once the white is finished. What is important, clothes to dry or the display of one color of pegs? And when the boss finds her house manager has flouted the rules, she feels disrespected and becomes emotional. This particular person is obsessed with order and symmetry. To relieve their anxiety they can be seen rearranging books, cutlery, cups must face a particular direction, or aligning carpets repeatedly among other things.

Others find it hard to dispose of things. They are hoarders. I have been a hoarder of books. Other hoard clothes, some men with cars hoard a lot of unnecessary car spares and stuff. The house can be turned into a garage!

Some people have irrational fears about security. They can alight from a bus just to go back home to confirm the gas was turned off or the door was locked. Can we relate and share if okay with you any OCDs we have come across?

“Mental health isn't a choice; recovery is.”
Recently as I was travelling from point A- B, a distance of 1 and half hours, I boarded a matatu in which there was a lady that was experiencing some trauma. From the moment i boarded the vehicle the lady kept lamenting
'XYZ is my baby, whether you do what or what he is my baby. Ask so and so...., ...., XYZ is my baby. My only child. Martin (pseudo name) mistreated us. He sold our properties....., he did abandoned us after doing this and that......'

The script was the same repeated until I alighted. Of course, as time went by she was getting tired but continued with the chant. Physically she looked healthy except for being exhausted with a flat affect. I felt very bad about it. When I asked about her I found out that she had been handed over to the driver to drop her at a certain destination, so she was basically all alone. My prayer is she was going to get treatment for whatever her situation was.

Mental illness is real. Let us take care of each other. A healthy mind is the greatest treasure we posses let us take care of it.

Yesterday, I was privileged to talk to my favorite target group- the teens from St Mary's Sosio on self-discipline. It takes discipline to master the art of:
• Setting goals
• Time management
• Leadership
• Conquer the nagging voices in our minds
• Conquer the fear of failure, fear of poverty
• Admit our mistakes, recognize limitations and take responsibility
• Be totally honest with ourselves and with others

Hi everyone. Holidays are here with us and we are glad our children finally have a break from the school crash program. Famconnect Therapy Center Therapy Center is offering online psycho-education sessions at a very subsidized rate of ksh 2000 for the entire program. The theme is Preservation of a Generation. We will look at Self-discipline, Self -awareness, Addictions, Mental health among others. We have only 6 sessions, one session per week. We believe the children need that deserved break but with a lot of guidance.

We have a team of experts to disseminate valuable information to your children. Enroll your teen (13-18) years, using the link below.
https://forms.gle/ZBmQY3F9q69kfgeU6

Looking forward to interacting with your teens.

I facilitated a Mental Health (MH)Worskshop for Outreach to the World Inc. in Kiminini. My target audience was parents and guardians of sponsored children by OWI. I did the presentation in Swahili at least 90% and was impressed that the target audience grasped what mental illness is and its impact on our lives. Some of them shared their experiences with mental challenges including depression, anxiety and su***de attempts.

In order to live a quality life, we must take care of our health and especially MH. Why is it that we are quick to seek services of a dentist when we have a tooth ache, and neglect signs of mental illness? How about we prioritize our mental health? Sometimes all you need to do is to is just make that call to a friend or family member that has gone silent - check on them, or take a walk, breath in and out deeply, visit a friend or family member, rest, keep off social media for a day, drink plenty of water, meditate. Let us help each other in this journey. Sometimes Mental illness may not be seen with the eye but if we are keen enough, we can notice the symptoms before they escalate to serious concerns.

Hi everyone

Yesterday we were privileged to talk to students from Friends Secondary School Musokho. The students both boys and girls are faced with a myriad of challenges exacerbated by difficult living conditions. Dr Makila and I did sessions on
Boy/Girl Relationships
Teen Pregnancy
Self defense mechanisms against r**e attacks
Coping with domestic violence

It was a half day affair. Very interactive session. We did what we love doing passionately. If the issues teens are going through are not addressed adequately forget about excellent academic performance because the stresses spill over to all other areas of their lives.

We urge schools to be concerned about their students and implement Guidance and Counseling programs that address student challenges as well as empower students.
C

Cohort 1- Nawiri Teen Club

I am privileged to introduce our 1st team of participants in the Nawiri Teen Club. It is exciting that I requested for 20 participants but got 26 instead. Today we were basically getting to know each other, setting ground rules. sharing objectives and expectations and it was fun.

In a small way, our partnership with the schools and mentees is going to create synergy that will catapult these children/students to reach their full potential. This cohort is purely Form 1 students only both boys and girls. Our aim is to work with a preventive approach as opposed to remedial approach in counseling after all many years ago it was said prevention is better than cure!

Famconnect Therapy Center wishes them the very best as they go through the Youth Mentorship Program. Enjoy the ride

Team Famconnect

I have always loved working with children and adolescents. There is something about them that makes me come alive. To maximize on this opportunity I have developed a mentorship program dubbed Nawiri Teen Club. This program is a 2 year mentorship journey with children and adolescents that enroll in it.

Through many years of counseling and research, we have established that adolescents and youth need mentorship to navigate the turbulent transition stage to adulthood. A fulfilled life includes READING, PLAYING, WORKING and RESTING with a purpose in mind.

Unlike other mentorship programs and workshop seminars, Famconnect Youth Mentorship Program gives the teens a chance to Re- Invent Themselves. We embark on this journey together to ensure that they find the Right ‘FIT’.

Throughout the program we will engage in activities that will enable us to
 DREAM
 EXPLORE
 LEARN
 THINK
 COACH
 COUNSEL
 THRIVE

As children and teens engage in the Nawiri Teen club activities and materials, remember “ To Thrive” doesn’t just happen, it is a process. It does not end with the mentorship and club activities but becomes a way of life.

It’s not what you do once in a while; it’s what you do day in and day out that makes a difference. JENNY CRAIG

I am piloting the program with a limited number of participants with a few selected schools and am excited about it. Keep it here as I will be posting our activities and progress as we go along. We intend to learn and have fun at the same time.

Thank You

DEATH ANXIETY

The fact that you are reading this article means that you are alive.
Since we all have an appointment with death one day,
Let us talk about this dreaded subject- DEATH

Are we scared of death? Reminds me of a conversation I had with my son many years ago. He told me he wanted to go to heaven so that he can see the grandmother – my late mum and God. And I panicked and said, NO, Not Yet! He was quick to ask me, ‘ If heaven is so good and we all hope to get there 'someday', why don’t we want to go there early enough? ‘ Of course he caught me off guard, I didn’t have a good answer for him then. But the fact that a majority of us are reluctant to talk about death is evidence enough that we are afraid.

Since the onset of COVID, death has become a more common occurrence to many of us whatever the cause. Unfortunately due to the many deaths we are experiencing, most people are developing death anxiety. Most of us are wondering,
Am I next? Who is next?
How will I die? (Does it matter anyway?)
Where do people go after they die?
Do our loved ones really dance with the angels when they depart from us?
Do they really watch over us like guardian angels?
So what is life?’
Recently after attending a few burials here and there and during loss and grief counseling, we have started talking about death. And some people are even joking about it. For instance, if a friend says they have a headache, the response is “Are you leaving us?” A neighbor of mine told me he wished that people could meet death and know how it looks like so that they can ran away when confronted.

I saw on social media a conversation on death that was hilarious. One fellow said he would like to die early in the morning because given a choice he has no reason to go working then die at the end of day.

Another responded that he needed one month advance notice so that they can stop stressing over gym and eat what they want! My late friend Lucy was a fitness freak and would tell me, ‘ Look Vivian even if we are going to die, I want to die in a quality body. (As if it matters anyway!) And true she died while mountain climbing… If only we knew when…….

And the comments were many and funny, ‘I should die before my me**es. How can I suffer from cramps then die?’ Interesting, I loved this conversation because at least some people are beginning to think about death.

Why is this important? Discussing death will enable us to make decisions that are important to us while we are alive. Parents need to write down wills for their next of kin – the children.

We need to think about our spirituality. For those that believe in heaven and hell, probably it can be a wakeup call to start working on your personal relationship with GOD or vice versa depending on your choice destination.

We need to answer that question, ‘ What do I want to accomplish before I die? Then start….

How do we demystify death and dying through conversations? Let us promote conversations about death and dying within the family set up to help the members speak out their fears over a cup of tea or coffee.

In counseling we expose patients to their source of anxiety to reduce the fear they harbor. For instance, if a baby is scared of a cat, lock the baby in a room with the cat for some time. The baby will cry scream then realize the cat will not harm him/her.

Let anyone who goes through loss of a loved one get loss and grief therapy. Do not forget the children especially. Answer all questions they have about death in a way that they can understand. We have many children that hate God for taking away their parents because no one has bothered to explain to them about death.

CONTACT us on 0708788799 for loss and grief debriefing sessions

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Hi everyone

As we interact on this platform, kindly give us feedback on our content, let us know what you would like to hear more of, ask questions and lets get your reviews. That way we will be able to serve you better. Thanks you.

Happy New Year Family!

We are happy to let you know that we are rebranding from Family Counseling and Psychological Support Center (FCPSC) to FAMCONNECT THERAPY CENTER LTD ( FTC). Most of our clients felt the the former name was too mouthy and we decided to make it easier for all of us. No more Family Counseling what? ..... What was your name again?

Famconnect stands for Family Connections. It derives its name from the family unit given that family is the core of any society. Wherever we are, we are family be it in a school, workplace, nuclear or extended family we are family and we make communities and societies which we live in. As a people we need meaningful connections and that is where therapy comes in.

We want to thank you family for keeping it here, following us and we promise more relevant interactions and connections. So yes we are still Family Counseling and Psychological Support Centre but rebranded to Famconnect Therapy Center. Dont go anywhere , keep it here. Thank you

LOSS
The year is a few days old yet we have been handling a lot of loss and grief cases - so far about 9 an average of one daily.
We always want to be in control of our lives, so we build a wall around us with a sign saying ' LOSSES - NO TRESSPASSING.' and then if they occur we feel violated.

As a culture we seem to have an intolerance for suffering and tend to want those who have suffered a loss of any kind to get over it quickly and get on with their lives. We tend to minimize the impact of loss.

Death has such a finality that sucks. Some of the fears I got to hear this week include,
'I felt like we are being sacrificed.'
'I got a headache and was scared that am the next one to die.'
'I fear passing by the office of the late ......'
I feel their presence and it scares me.'
Interesting questions also came up about life after death.

Given that these fears are from adults , how about children who are most ignored during loss of their significant others. Do they just go back to school with no counseling whatsoever? Do we understand the impact of accumulated losses that are not grieved?

Loss is not the enemy, not facing its existence is.
What is the loss in your life that you have never grieved over?
Talk to us at Famconnect Therapy Center if in need of loss and grief therapy. Healing hearts and inspiring individuals is what we do.

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Today we had an interesting session discussing positive discipline and gender equality in the classroom.

I learnt today that the cane in discipline had limits. Girls were not to beaten on their butts. Boys were to get a max of 5 canes. So in essence removing of corporal punishment came as a result of excessive punishment.

I like the question one teacher posed. Who is the problem, the teacher for administering excess punishment or those against the corporal punishment? Interesting debate it was especially when we looked at how we model gender roles in the classroom.

As we ended the training we were in consensus to end violence against the child. We agreed children need to be taught about their rights.

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DID YOU KNOW?
Trauma counseling should be done within 72hrs after THE traumatic incident e. g fire,accident ?

With sexual abuse no matter how many sessions of counseling are done, until Justice is done healing is hard to come by. Our retrogressive cultures take no action when children are abused. Let us report the cases to relevant authorities. Support victims to heal.

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Hi parents.

What are some of the areas that you would like training as parents?

What is it that challenges you the most as a parent? Kindly give us a feedback.

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Dr Makila and I had the opportunity to speak to students at Kisiwa TTI today. We discussed on mental health and stress management respectively.

The interaction with the students was candid with relationships being their no. 1 stressor. Challenges with waiting or even getting to know when is the right time to engage?

We posed a few questions to them
Are you dating because you are bored?
Is peer pressure pushing you to date?
Are you happy in the relationship?
Are you ready for the relationship?
Why is it important for a young man to secure an income before getting involved in a serious relationship?
Do girls need to be economically empowered before engaging in sexual relationships?

Our gospel of mental wellness was well received.

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Yesterday we were privileged to train Peer counselors at St Mary's Kibabii High School.

We empowered them on mental health, how to diagnose and interventions they can apply at the school and community level.

It was a whole day event and my team and I delivered.

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Training teachers on positive discipline and mental wellness at Kapsokwony DEB - in partnership with Save the Children.

The teachers were very enthusiastic about the training. We encourage them to implement what they learnt in order to impact positively the children.

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Family Counseling And Psychological Support Centre is inviting you to join a video meeting on Google Meet

meet.google.com/hrd-zuwm-ukv

Or open Meet and enter this code: hrd-zuwm-ukv

Hoping to see you there

Dr Makila a seasoned counseling Psychologist highlighting counseling issues affecting us

Ambetsa training on positive discipline