In his 10 years as a child and family counselor for LSSI’s Children’s Community Services, Ian Lovera has seen the difference he’s made with his young clients and their families. Whether in Foster Care or Intact Family Services, the kids are dealing with their own traumas, but he’s also attuned to the needs of their families overall.
“Counseling is an important service because it supports the family, supports the kids, and supports the parents,” he said.
Such was the case with Shannon who became a foster parent to her triplet grandchildren. Each child saw a different counselor at LSSI, with Ian meeting with one of her grandsons.
“My grandson always looked forward to going to therapy,” she said. “Ian helped him learn coping skills, ways to adjust his behavior, and get a handle on his feelings. He would say, ‘I can’t wait to go to therapy because I want to talk to Ian.’”
Shannon saw changes in her grandchildren. She felt part of a team approach and appreciated the support the counselors gave her. She also valued the counselors’ advice, how they listened, let her vent, and reinforced that she was not alone.
“That support really helped me to be able to handle things and to look at things from a different perspective,” she said. “The counselors and caseworkers helped me navigate foster care, which is something I’ve never dealt with before. And the kids felt loved and cared for when they were with the therapists.”
Those are the types of outcomes that fuel Lovera’s work.
“My satisfaction in this work is being able to give back to the community,” he said. “I enjoy helping kids thrive.”
