Supervised Visitation (SV)/Enhanced SV/Family Treatment Court SV

When I first came to Supervised Visitation, I was very angry. I had to go through the most horrific four years of anyone’s life. I had been fighting for custody of my children. A beautiful 11 year old girl, Nicole, and a one year old boy, Francesco, that we had through the in-vitro process. My life became shattered the day of a custody trial when my attorney, at the time, told me that my daughter Nicole called the law guardian and told him that I strangled her, punched her in the face, and hit her in the face with my shoe. My attorney told me that the Judge hates me and I will never be allowed near my kids. At that very moment, I became numb and nothing mattered to me anymore. My attorney screamed at me in the middle of the hall to sign the divorce agreement which handed over everything to my ex-wife. He has since been arrested and I, needless to say, no longer have him representing me. I still am fighting in court to date to see my children. I haven’t had one holiday, birthday, or overnight visit with my children in four years. The quick hearing took place in November. I finally came to your program in late January, early February. I was a beaten down, broken shell of a man. Angry with the court system and left heart broken by my daughter who was the center of my universe. Through Supervised Visitation, I was allowed to spend an hour with my son. My daughter never came even though I begged to see her. Francesco and I always had such a great time within that hour. You allowed us to bring toys from home to play with. I brought in a medieval castle with dragons, horses, warriors, and catapults. We would get into role playing of the figurines where other children would want to come over and play with Francesco and me. We appreciated you and your staff so much that we donated toys so that other families may enjoy their time there as much as Francesco and I did. All people have to realize is that you are there to facilitate time for them to see their children. Once they do, the hatred dissipates from them and they get to enjoy the company of their children. You gave to me what I was not able to get otherwise and that is some time with my child. For that, on behalf of Francesco and I, I wanted to extend our most deepest appreciation of you, your staff, and most importantly, the program. Without Supervised Visitation, I wouldn’t have been able to see my son at all for the last two years. Your thoughtfulness means so much to me.

I wanted to let you know that there is always hope! It has been eight years since our son has spoken or seen his father. His father had a serious drug problem, so the disease took over his life and left no room for anything or anyone including his own son. For approximately seven months, now I believe going on eight, my son’s father has been clean and sober. He looks healthy, he seems his old same self from years ago, albeit a little worn. Even though I have no intention of reconciling, I am still his friend and very happy for him and our son. They have reestablished and started to rebuild an almost forgotten relationship and it is a wonder to see. All I know is that our son is overjoyed. That being said, our son still has reservations and is still processing all of this, but is tentatively eager to go forward and I know his heart is mending, he has told me so.

Being at EAC Network has given us the stepping stone much needed in our situation. We had been at EAC Network before and were provided the same wonderful safety net and controlled environment. Again, we have the same and it is extremely helpful. Our son and his father were able to once again gather in a neutral environment (at Supervised Visitation) and were able to talk a lot and reconnect. my son’s father is so excited, grateful, humble, and lovingly taken away by the sight of his son, now very different, older. His father cannot wait to do more with his son, talk more, just everything. They are even going to a basketball game at the Barclay Center together next month and to dinner first. I was asked permission and of course I said I would discuss it with my son to see how he feels about it and he said he was comfortable with that outing.

My son, as I said before is cautious, because well, I have always been honest with him so he is very aware of what has transpired, however he misses his dad terribly and he knows that the feeling is more than mutual from his father. So, we do this, we take small steps and with the help of God and EAC Network and their guidance, and hopefully it will all work out and continue on this positive path and become what we all pray for, which is an everlasting, beautiful relationship between the two of them.

I am a Family Coach for the Enhanced Supervised Visitation program. I first interned at EAC Network for the Supervised Visitation program during my last year of undergrad and was captivated by the intimate family dynamic. I applied for the Family Coach position where the objective is to move visitations from a supervised setting to an unsupervised setting by teaching parents how to best meet their child’s needs. However, once I began, I quickly learned this was not just a job but a lifestyle. I was granted an opportunity to influence the next generation, but more so, promote positivity, motivation, self-love, and most of all get to practice and teach effective communication with each parent. I’ve learned it is not just about informing parents about their child’s developmental age but how to build healthy and open relationships. Every day I learn how different each individual is, how different each family is, how much hurt dwells in the lives around us, and how important every single interaction is. This position has brought priceless enlightenment and I hope to share it with every family I work with.

As a Family Coach I have seen visiting parents grow and develop abilities that were not as prominent as they were when they were first referred to the programs in order to take care and meet the needs of their children. For some parents the growth happens quicker than others; however, I feel all the parents left with something to move them forward in life with their children.

I am an Enhanced Supervised Visitation Family Coach. I was first drawn to the program by the idea of helping families. We assist families with parenting skills to move from supervised to unsupervised visitation through coached visits. Being a Family Coach is very rewarding. On a daily basis you get the chance to be encouraging, positive, a role model, and most of all a source of help to parents so they can achieve their goals of unsupervised visitation. I have only been a Family Coach for a little over two months but throughout my time, I have had parents say to me:

• “I really appreciate how much you care for me and my son; I can see that this is more than a job for you.”
• “I appreciate the articles you gave me to read; it will help me during my visits and to be a better parent.”

I have also observed a parent who rarely would actively interact with their children, who now plays games and engages them in conversation because of the power of coaching.

The office at Enhanced Supervised Visitation is small, but very dynamic with an amazing team where each member has various experiences and serves as great role models for me and the parents we service.

Any company should count themselves lucky to have an employee as talented, dedicated, and knowledgeable as Hilda working for them.

I was lucky enough to have Hilda assigned to my case through EAC Network. From the first day I met her she was welcoming and caring. She goes above and beyond for her clients from the start. We worked very closely together every week with my son Skylar on parenting skills. She is very hands-on as a teacher. I can tell you from experience she does not mind going the extra mile for her clients. She literally would go with me in the bathroom to show me proper and safe ways to bathe my son. Her approach was always personal and warm. It was easy to discuss parenting issues with her. She would always have great answers and suggestions. She makes herself available anytime of the day for calls I had and would accompany me on any appointments.

Hilda helped me grow as a mother. She taught me more than anyone else and she exceeded any expectation I had. I accomplished a lot since starting with Hilda and there is no doubt she is part of the reason. She took the time to learn me and my son throughout the months we worked together. She got us food for Thanksgiving and gifts at Christmas. That goes beyond her job as a parenting coach but that is the person she is.

I can say with confidence that I would not be where I am today without Hilda. Her passion is to help others. She believed in me when no else did. She never left me side either. I learned to be
confident and strong with her. I found my strength and voice with her supporting me. I owe a lot of my accomplishments to having her as my teacher.

I believe her drive and selfless attitude will catapult her far in her career. I am honored to know Hilda and had the pleasure of working with her. She is an incredible asset and deserves the
highest recommendation.