The HISTORY of The Award Winning Strengthening Families Proram For Parents & Youth

Dr. Karol L. Kumpfer developed the original evidence-based SFP 14-session program in 1982 on a National Institute of Drug Abuse grant for substance-abusing parents with children ages 6 to 11 years (SFP6-11). The purpose of the grant was to discover what skills parents needed to keep their kids from using alcohol and drugs.

SFP has been replicated by multiple agencies in the USA and Europe for the past 30 years with outstanding results. SFP is now taught in all 50 U.S. states and 36 other countries.

In 2001 classes for families with younger children (SFP Birth-3 and SFP3-5) were developed as well as classes for teens (SFP12-16). (Dr. Kumpfer also helped create a 7-session SFP 10-14 version for low-risk Iowa families.) 

Appropriate Target Audiences 

The target population for the Kansas Serves Native American Families (KSNAF)'s Strengthening Families Program project was children ages 0–17 and parents or guardians who self-identified as Native American and as affected by substance use.

This project took place in a midwestern state with an estimated Native American population of 30,995 representing 1 % of the state population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Included in the 1 % are four federally recognized self-governing tribal nations and an intertribal university located within the state. 

Families were referred from child welfare agencies, behavioral health treatment centers, courts, tribal health and social services, early childhood as well as self-referral from program word of mouth and social media.

Families That Shemot Psychosocial Interventions For Youth's and Families Serves

Shemot Psychosocial Interventions For Youth & Families receives referrals from CYFD Probation, behavioral health providers, churches and self referrals.  We specialize in helping families without a voice...youth and families being trafficked who may not be able to ask for help. We follow the signs and administer help where families will allow us. 

In response to the Four Corners epidemic of targeting Native Americans, SPIFYF has developed The Four Corners Anti-Trafficking Crisis Intervention Network. (FCATCIN) is a multi-state network spanning the Four Corners States of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. The network consists of Law Enforcement Agencies, Behavioral health Providers, Housing Providers, and  Churches Who endeavor to aid rescue operations for  At-Risk Youth, Youth and adults on Probation victims of Human & Labor Trafficking, their Families. and the communities they serve in these regions. 


Locally What Shemot Psychosocial Interventions For Youth & Families Offers.


Why Shemot Psychosocial Interventions For Youth & Families Exist

Shemot Psychosocial Interventions For Youth & Families was founded in 2021  as a faith-based fundraising and youth and family programmatic non profit, in response to the vast amount of youth, young adults and homeless youth our CEO Lilah Westrick heard were missing from Native families.  Lilah has worked with as a Minister, a CSW, a CPSW Recovery Coach and in the medical profession,  polysubstance use populations for over 23 years here in New Mexico, 7 of which were in Farmington with her Exodus Shelter project which ended in 2015. After experiencing her vicarious trauma, living in a trafficking community for 4 years, her passion for youth and families was ignited. 

After collecting data, analyzing that data and being licensed as a preventionist,  SPIFYF began to poll communities in the Four Corners area, talking to other trafficking advocates, agencies, victims and families of missing and indigenous people, Lilah found that when victims were recovered, we weren't helping people stay free in New Mexico, but were in fact setting victims of to be poly trafficked because of of our high standards to get into housing with a substance use diagnosis. There are very few crisis safe homes a victim can run too, and the homes that exist don't have immediate Medication Assisted Treatment. 

Most victims of trafficking are in fact college students, or professional persons. Traffickers love to target contributing citizens of society and derail their futures. They start by forcing them to get on drugs, breaking their spirits while they do so, forcing them to commit crimes-- always lead to arrest...they see to it that they are caught, and then traumatize them so that they can obtain a mental health diagnoses. The Founder witnessed these incidents first hand as victims were raped out in the front yard of the homes in the community to advertise a new victim. The whole block and surrounding blocks would then come out and line up to rape this person and/or entire family. After they are discredited with law enforcement and judges, they then begin forcing them to rape and beat others, Thus the cycle perpectuates and if they're young enough, they are turned into gang members. 

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