It is hard to pick just one core value to describe Kim Stoler over the past couple of weeks. Kim has a youth on her case who is really struggling at school. Last year, she tried to work with the school, but due to COVID-19, she was not really successful. Since the start of this year, Kim has diligently collaborated with the school, foster parent, and pediatrician to help get this kid what he needs. She has been attending morning classes with him for two weeks so she could observe his behaviors and try to find his triggers. She works closely with him and the teacher when he is escalated to try and create a safe space. Kim has most recently attended a medication check with the pediatrician and is advocating for a full psychiatric evaluation. Kim’s passion to help this kid get on track shines through everything she is doing!
Greg Burnett was assigned to his case in May 2020. There is a large team of therapists working on the team, and there are some serious concerns with the father’s therapist. The dad is completely unaware of how his behavior has affected his children and the reason they were brought into care. It seemed to the team his therapist was blindly supporting Dad, even going so far to provide him with a letter to the court saying that the father was not a threat to his children. Despite our concerns, the therapist is the only person the father will listen to, and we did not want to lose that relationship, if at all possible. Greg set up a meeting with the therapist and confronted him about our concerns. The therapist said he had read the collateral, but it was clear quickly he had only gotten information from the father. With permission from the case manager, Greg offered to provide a summary of the collateral to the therapist to provide a better picture of the case. The therapist was open to that. Because of this CASA, we keep this case moving forward instead of having to start all over with a new therapist!
