Ann Moodie helps abused girls

Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

She calls herself a Jamerican. Born to Jamaican parents but a permanent resident of the United States, Ann Moodie has a strong connection to her Jamaican roots. As such, this summer the family and marriage counselling intern is using her training to help troubled teenage girls at the Homestead Childcare Facility in Stony Hill work through various challenges they have faced.

Moodie was a victim of sexual abuse growing up, and knows all too well the potential turmoil the experience can unleash. But armed with her master's degree in clinical psychology, the 33-year-old, who specialised in marriage, family and child therapy, is hosting a series of self-designed workshops.

"It's always been my calling to help those who have experienced the same traumas that I had growing up, and to also let them know that you can come out of it and that you can succeed," said Moodie. She explained that she, too, underwent professional therapy, a mandatory part of her training.

"The theory is that if you are going to help someone else with their traumas, you can't take them farther than you've gone yourself," she explained.

FLOW Girls

The group of girls are dubbed the FLOW girls Circle, where Flow is an acronym For Love Of Well-being. Moodie takes on the five to 10 girls who sit in a circle and get the opportunity to discuss a variety of issues. The girls, who are a part of the Child Development Agency run facility, get the chance to discuss bullying, skin bleaching, sexual issues, pressures and neglect. "Whatever the emotions are on their minds."

The workshops are completely voluntary, with Moodie standing the costs of whatever supplies are necessary and her personal travel costs. Moodie is pleased with the results indicating that she is currently doing the second workshop for the summer because of the demand from the girls.

The participants also sign up for the classes independently, they are given information about the group and given the choice to join.

When it came on to talking about sexual abuse, the girls were hesitant she said, but she found that the majority of the girls in the group she is currently working with had been sexually abused. "They were all shy to talk about it but it just took that one person to open up and then everyone else was able to chime in." Others who were too shy to express themselves in the group did so through letters which they would discreetly slip in her bag. "These girls are literally crying out for help."

Moodie wants to continue with the programme. She opens up herself to the girls letting them know of her background and encourages them through their journal writing assignments, and a variety of techniques to understand their feelings.

"My plans would definitely be to make this a full-time thing, a workshop that can happen after school. I'd love to have a facility where they can come and talk one-on-one. A lot of these girls when I'm done with the group will hang around to speak to me alone," she said. Moodie one day plans to expand the programme to include boys.

Moodie plans to seek funding to continue the programme.

Visit: www.caribeanyouthcounsel.org