By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
AN ENDEAVOUR Hills welfare organisation which runs an innovative new counselling program for children with behavioural issues has been allocated money by the Bank of Melbourne to keep the module running.
The Andrews Centre will use the $5000 Bank of Melbourne grant towards its cognitive remediation and enhancement program, co-ordinated by psychologist Emma Healey and which aims to assist children with learning disabilities, such as ADHD, to develop new neural pathways to help them overcome any complications.
Ms Healey said the program, which was started at the Andrews Centre this year, was new to Australia after being created by Israeli professor Reuven Feuerstein.
“The brain does typically develop in a certain way but if we get these children that from injury or traumatic background haven’t been able to develop cognitive skills, if we teach them these functions, they can develop them at any age,” Ms Healey said.
Ms Healey, who is currently overseas to train in another element of the program, said she had already observed reassuring responses from the children currently receiving the specific counselling at the Andrews Centre.
“I haven’t formally measured them at this point but what I have observed in terms of use of cognitive function is I’ve seen an increase in the ability to plan, and an increase in the ability to mediate each other – their ability to perform tasks has dramatically improved,” she said.
“The program can act as a bridge beyond the classroom.
“It’s only been running for one term and research shows that after a year there is a significant jump in a child’s performance, then after second year there’s another jump and then after two years its self-perpetuating.”
The Andrews Centre program is one of four programs in Melbourne and Geelong which have shared in almost $50,000 in the latest allocation of grants from the Bank of Melbourne Neighbourhood Fund.
The Andrews Centre forms part of Endeavour Ministries and provides a range of services for people in need, including food, clothing, financial assistance, legal and psychological counselling.
For more information, contact the Andrews Centre on 9700 4944.
