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Hannah's House Services include:

Supervised Visitation and Exchange
Cooperative Co-Parenting Classes
Facilitated Co-Parenting Meetings
Pathways to Peace Anger Management Class
Substance Abuse Assessment
Visitation Monitor Training Program

SUPERVISED VISITATION AND EXCHANGE

The job of the Professional Supervised Visitation/Exchange Monitor is to observe and document the behavior of the Custodial and Non-Custodial parents in their interactions with the child(ren) while participating in the process of supervised visitation/exchange.  The monitor does not intervene unless there is a clear and present health and/or safety risk for the child.  According to the governing code, "Health" includes "emotional, verbal, physical, or sexual abuse".  All documentation obtained by the monitor in the course of work with a family is provided to the Court for consideration when the family has a review hearing or mediation. The Professional Monitor is tasked with enforcing court orders but has no authority to force either party to comply with the orders issued by the Court.  The monitor works with each parent to ensure compliance with the orders, then records and reports compliance or noncompliance with existing Court Orders on the part of each party.

Once parties sign an agreement for services at Hannah's House, they are bound by that contract to comply with all rules and guidelines in accordance with Section 5.20 of the California Rules of Court.

All services are provided in a safe and secure manner to ensure the peace of mind of all parties, adults and children alike. Services offered on a sliding fee scale.

Supervised Visitation is provided to parents who have a court order which requires supervision during visits with their child(ren). 100% of the interaction between parent and child is monitored by a trained professional. Hannah's House offers both agency-based visitation services and community-based, depending on the needs of the family and the court order in each case.

     Agency Visitation Activities May Include
  • visists start and end at agency - no minimum hour requirement
  • walk to a nearby activity (Park, Zoo, restaurants, shops)
  • use of public transportation: cab or bus allowed
  • video tapes/DVDs/CDs
  • drawing and painting
  • book reading and story telling
  • playing cards/games
  • playing with and learning about animal staff
  • snacks and meals

      Community/Outside Visitation

  • meet at pre-arranged location (Sea World, beach, park)
  • 3 hour minimum required
  • both parties must agree to outside/community setting
  • Ineligible cases -- High Security & Restraining Orders

Supervised Child Exchange is provided to parents who are required to have, or would like to have, a neutral and safe place to transfer the child/ren between Mom's house and Dad's house. Only the transfer of the child from one parent to another is monitored by a trained professional. Section 5.20 does not apply to supervised exchanges but is recommended to be used as a guide in providing the service.

Client Services available Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM and Saturday/Sunday between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. 

Visitation/Exchange Policies:

All parties must abide by the guidelines of all court orders, and those of Hannah's House. There will be no contact between the adult parties on agency property, unless that is allowed by court order and has been cleared by or scheduled through the staff.

Threats of physical violence will not be tolerated. All parties must conduct themselves in a manner that clearly demonstrates that the well-being of the child(ren) is the highest priority.  Parents will not talk about the other parent or any aspect of the legal/family transition situation in front of the children.

COOPERATIVE COPARENTING CLASS:

Parents living in families in transition often have difficulty parenting children in a helpful way. Most of the energy in the family is drained by problems and challenges, with little or none left for the children. What energy is left over, may be aimed in the general direction of the children, but without a plan for the development of the child.

This class is designed for dual-household parents and helps them identify the behaviors that interfere with good-enough parenting, and then to make specific competence-based changes. Feelings are just as important as behavior. If the parent is swept away by his or her own feelings, the child will feel the effects. This program teaches parents how to have their feelings and exhibit appropriate behavior.

Cooperative coparenting teaches parents how to establish a good-enough, not perfect, communication link with their children, in age-appropriate ways. It also teaches parents how to communicate with the other important adults in their children's lives.

  Four Foundation Concepts
  • On Target
  • Good-Enough
  • Boundary Benefits
  • Coparenting Relationships

Effective coparenting is vital to the well-being of the blended family. This class is for anyone interested in developing or improving a coparenting situation.

A completion certificate is issued at the conclusion of 6 2-hour sessions. All classes are offered individually by appointment only.

FACILITATED CO-PARENTING MEETINGS

Facilitated coparenting meetings are one of the tools offered at Hannah's House to help parents make the transition from supervised visits to face to face meetings and child exchanges. This service is also available to any two-home parents who want some help making the transition from parenting in the same home to parenting in two homes. A facilitated meeting is conducted by an expert in both child development and family transitions. Each parent completes a list of issues they would like to discuss in the initial meeting. The coparenting facilitator compiles a rank-ordered agenda based on the highest priority issues for the particular family situation and provides that back to each coparent. The facilitator also gives each coparent some basic ground rules that will be followed during the meeting.

Most coparents find that a once a month meeting works well for approximately the first three-six months following the initial family transition then every other month for about six months. Some parents are able to meet on their own fairly early on in a cordial, civil and business-like fashion, with the help of friends, family and professionals. For those that are concerned about their ability to do that on their own immediately, the facilitated coparenting meeting is a resource available that can help parents avoid any pitfalls and land mines during the first meetings following the transition.

PATHWAYS TO PEACE ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES

This is a unique anger management program offered in an individual format only, no groups. Each person referred for this program is screened for personal motivation and a readiness to change. Full recovery from a long-standing pattern of anger and rage generally takes a minimum of two to three years. Maintaining recovery once the change process is initiated is an ongoing lifelong process. Pathways to Peace is a program based on self-help concepts and it is only a beginning. It is based on the belief that behavior change is the beginning of a process that leads to character change. And true healing does not and can not occur until our character has been transformed.

The solution to the enormous problem of anger and rage expressed through verbal violence lies with the individual. It is easy to look at our world and see that thousands, even millions of people are abused, maimed and killed every day because of anger and rage. Families are ruined, marriages ended, children traumatized, careers lost, opportunities missed, personal and public property destroyed. Pathways to Peace focuses on the individual because that is the only place change can begin...and endure.

  Goals of Pathways to Peace
  Learn to live in harmony with
  • our families
  • our friends
  • our employers & coworkers
  • Change your behavior
  • stop violence of any kind in your life once and for all
  • reap the rewards of a more peaceful life

A completion certificate is issued at the conclusion of 6 2-hour sessions. All classes are offered individually by appointment only.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE ASSESSMENTS

Court-Ordered/Attorney Referred: This is a 2 - 4 session model utilizing a specific combination of screening and assessment devices which may include urinalysis and/or breathalyzer. The assessment also includes a structured clinical interview process and collateral interviews, including the primary person expressing concerns, the employer, physician, and others as necessary.  Its purpose is to generate a report that details: 

  Purpose of Report
  • The severity of the problem 
  • The impact on life areas of concern to the Court 
  • Specific recommendations for appropriate intervention

The forensic assessment including written report is offered on a sliding fee scale based on gross monthly income ranging from $750 to $1350.

VISITATION MONITOR TRAINING PROGRAM

A forty hour training program is offered to individuals who wish to become Professional Visitation Monitors in San Diego County. The program consists of a combination of classroom curriculum and practicum with a professional monitor. The program meets the training requirements set forth in Section 5.20 in the California Rules of Court. The program is offered on an individual basis. The charge is $650.  

Hannah's House
4002 Park Blvd.
Suite C
San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 294-9852