Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Meredith
Hi Christine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my business over 10 years ago when I realized that there was a gap in services for the neurodivergent population. This population of individuals with Autism and ADHD were in need of social emotional growth and I felt that groups were the best way to reach more kids in an effective way. I started 3 C’s Therapy Center and began my journey to building self, social, and life awareness in individuals who often do not receive services in their current settings or situations. I began cultivating my Awareness Approach© by assessing individuals to determine the appropriate groups needed based on the 3 C’s group types: Cognition, Communication, and Connection. Cognition groups work on self awareness and emotional regulation. Communication groups focus on social awareness and relationship skills. Connection groups empower individuals to grow their life awareness by working on executive functioning skills needed to be independent. I also use a whole family approach, and I strive to bring HOPE to all of our families who are overwhelmed and need a place to learn and grow with like-minded families.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have spent years creating a repeatable process that takes individuals from age 8 to adults through the levels of awareness while also helping their families through the stages of HOPE. The biggest challenge I encounter is that there is a lack of training and education related to Autism and ADHD for professionals in the fields of therapy and teaching. This makes finding employees challenging, especially those unique ones who are willing to learn this process and apply it to the large number of individuals in need of help. We are inundated with clients in need of services and there are limited teachings related to awareness in any fields. Finding therapists who have the knowledge and expertise to come in and run groups is challenging. We are a small but mighty business and we help as many families as we can, but there is a consistent waitlist of individuals needing help with social skills and the number is growing each year. We hope to eventually take our approach into therapy clinics or to teach our awareness building techniques on an online platform so that more people working with individuals can create groups in the community.
We’ve been impressed with 3 C’s Therapy Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are known for growing awareness! We see individuals come in with 3 to 4 diagnoses and their families are often overwhelmed and hopeless. We specialize in individuals who have average to above average IQ’s and/or language skills, so they often do not qualify for services in other settings. We evaluate each individual using our unique assessment and then place them in Social Success Groups based on their awareness levels, not just their age or diagnosis. We often say that someone who is unaware may not care how they act or what they do because they are not tied to why they need help. Once we grow their awareness levels through their progression in our different types of groups, they understand themselves and want to make changes and grow so that they can have the life they deserve. We believe that helping each individual understand themselves more, gives them the will to want to learn how to communicate better with others, which eventually helps them connect with the world around them. The 3 C’s whole family approach progresses individuals through the levels of awareness while moving their families through the stages of HOPE.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
We have so many favorites! We love the book, “Permission To Feel”, by Marc Brackett, Ph.D., and his app “How We Feel” is a wonderful way for clients to learn how to recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate their emotions. We are obsessed with Megan Neff’s website and her podcast, Neurodivergent Conversations. We also love GoZen!, Hey Warrior from heysigmund.com, and biglifejournal.com. The best book out there right now related to Autism is called: “Is This Autism? A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else” by Donna Henderson. We are a social skills group center so we love to play games. Our favorites are from explodingkittens.com because they have communication, collaboration, and competitive games which are the 3 types we do in our groups.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://3cstherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3cstherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3CsTherapyLLC/
