PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WNMU PROJECT RECEIVES
CON ALMA HEALTH FOUNDATION GRANT

A new Early Childhood Family Counseling Center at WNMU is one of the state’s 31 recipients of 2005 grant awards from the Con Alma Health Foundation. The 2005 Awards were announced by Robert Desiderio, Con Alma Health Foundation Executive Director, at the foundation’s third annual awards banquet in Albuquerque November 19.

WNMU’s Early Childhood Family Counseling Center was honored as one of only eight newly funded programs across the state. The Family Counseling Center received a $50,000 award to help launch an innovative program in mental health for very young children. The Center offers training and technical assistance in developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions with young children and their families. In addition to the Foundation’s grant, the project is supported by the WNMU Foundation and WNMU’s Early Childhood Programs.

The goals of the newly opened center are to build professional competence in early childhood interventions among working professionals in the community and to provide families and children with appropriate early interventions that build family resiliency.

Therapeutic skills taught in the program include play therapy and filial therapy. “Just as adults get relief from talking about their conflicts and problems, children too young for complex verbal expression can relieve tensions and express conflicts through play,” explained FCC Assistant Director and therapist, Melissa Busby. Filial therapy focuses on the parent-child relationship. Using techniques of play therapy, a trained facilitator helps parents build skills in nonjudgmental listening and understanding that can improve attachment and reduce behavior problems.

WNMU’s Early Childhood Programs include several licensed counselors skilled in these therapies, including Angel Toyota-Sharpe, FCC
Director, who is one of only eight registered play therapists in New Mexico. Other therapists in the new program include Mary Hokom and Diana Edwards-Masters.

One of the projects to be funded through this grant will be two follow-up sessions to last year’s highly successful “Challenging Child Conference.” Last June more than 125 early childhood professionals, home care providers, and parents attended a daylong conference on dealing with children who present behavioral and emotional challenges. The two new conferences will continue to explore these critical issues in greater depth.

According to Foundation Director Desiderio, competition was stiff for the more than $1 million in grant funds awarded this year. Approximately half of the foundation’s annual giving supports continuation grants for ongoing programs. The remainder is awarded to new targeted projects and seed grants for small and innovative programs. Statewide, 114 human service organizations submitted proposals, seeking more than $5 million in funding. The Foundation’s funds are intended to improve the health of New Mexico’s people and communities.

“These organizations are making a difference in health care available to New Mexicans,” Desiderio said. “With these awards we continue to work toward our goal of healthy New Mexicans living in healthy communities.”

Con Alma Health Foundation, Inc. is New Mexico’s largest health foundation. It was created in 2001 as a result of the sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, a non-profit corporation. The conversion provided charitable assets of more than $15 million for the foundation.