monthly spotlights

Trauma Informed Care Conference- Volunteer Appreciation Month - Staff Updates - and more!

Trauma Informed Care Conference

THANK YOU!

On April 14 we hosted our annual Trauma Informed Care Conference at the Rosenberg Civic Center Close to one hundred professionals and community members from many aspects of child welfare work, education, and other areas came together to learn the importance of being trauma informed while working with and providing services to children and families We were thrilled to also welcome professionals from across Texas and grateful they joined us!

During the day, we also took a little time to stress the importance of self-care so we can be the best we can be while serving others

Special thanks to our presenters: Donna Anderson, Fort Bend Behavioral Health Services; Dr Jonathan C Blassingame, III & Dr Shankar Nandakumar, Baylor College of Medicine; Christa Mayfield, GoodSustained; Jessica Williams and Chadwick Sapenter

You all made our day AMAZING!

Welcome Sandra Meza - Therapist

Hello, my name is Sandra Meza and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate I graduated with both my bachelor’s in psychology and my master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist University) I joined the CAFB team as a therapist because of my passion and dedication to helping children and their families heal I have a background in working with children in a variety of settings which include: inpatient and outpatient settings, public and private schools, community and childcare settings, and virtually

A few fun facts about me: I love coffee, cats, elephants, and nature, I have a 7-year-old niece, I’ve been skydiving twice (so far), I love traveling, and I hope to one day become a Registered Play Therapist

Welcome Lacy Starnes - Therapist

Lacy joined our Therapy Department at the CAC in April She worked with children and families in Dallas, TX for 8 years in a variety of settings This includes juvenile justice, CAC, hospital, and outpatient settings. She moved to Richmond 1 year ago after her husband of 4 years received a promotion within his company. She provided telehealth therapy in perinatal mental health for the past year while transitioning to Richmond and having a child herself, a baby boy who is now 7 months old She is excited to return to the CAC setting and is passionate about the treatment of trauma and problematic behavior in adolescents

Lacy enjoys being outside and grew up participating in water sports and camping She plays disc golf, hikes, and runs, and requires an inordinate amount of sunscreen. She has 2 large dogs - Catahoula mixes. She is a Dallas Cowboys and Rangers fan but don’t hold that against her. Her husband is a Green Bay Packers fan, so you can be mean to him. She loves music and knows how to play the violin but hasn’t actively played in a while

Are you interested in joining our team? We have openings Click here for more information or to apply today.

Congratulations Lindamarie!

We are so proud to announce that our therapist, Lindamarie Olson, has completed and defended her dissertation. On February 17th, Dr. Olson presented her dissertation titled “Neurofeedback enhanced trauma treatment for adolescents in residential treatment” with family, friends, and CAFB staff present. Throughout her research, Dr. Olson did a deep dive into how trauma effects the brain and how utilizing the neurofeedback modality of treatment can help with lessening trauma symptoms. We at CAFB are so proud of her and the hard work that she has done thus far in her career. We know that her future is bright and are looking forward to being her cheerleaders as she continues to make an impact on the lives of children who have experienced traumatic events. Congratulations, Dr. Olson!