FAMILY services network
ABOUT US
Family Services Network (FSN) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 to help low income families whose children are at high risk of developmental delay or disabilities and to teach them the tools necessaries to avoid child abuse or neglected.
FSN’s mission is to empower families to raise strong, healthy and safe children through evidence based programs.
Public Education
Workshops – In addition to our programs, FSN also conducts two- hour workshops in the community. These workshops are available in English and Spanish.
- Let’s Talk About Discipline (2 hours) – Behavioral problems such as the lack of order and obedience represent the number one problem with children at school. Some teachers complain that the lack of discipline takes away time for reading, math and classroom work and parents say that they don’t know how to discipline their children anymore. This workshop provides parents, adults and educators with the necessary tools to understand why children misbehave, how to include the child in the solution to the problem and how to use positive discipline tools to improve a child’s behavior.
- Discipline vs. Punishment (1 ½ hours) – The most common mistake that parents make is thinking that physical punishment is the best way to discipline children when they misbehave. Some parents believe that yelling, slapping and spanking will persuade their children to behave. In addition, it is common for parents to complain about how difficult it is to teach their children to obey. This workshop is designed to instruct parents and adults who are raising and taking care of children, about the key differences between discipline and punishment, the negative consequences of punishment, and the natural and logical consequences of the behavior.
- Happy Parents, Happy Children (2 hours) – One of the many challenges most parents face is understanding the reasons why kids of all ages don’t have the rational control to behave as parents would like. This workshop is designed to educate parents proven strategies to prevent children misbehavior. In this workshop, parents will learn how to connect with their children, recognize their feelings, regulate their emotions and set limits in order to improve their relationship and daily interactions.
- Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way (2 days) – This workshop is designed for new and experienced parent educators to gain the information and skills to become Positive Discipline Parenting Educators. The workshop provides effective tools and resources for professionals who want to offer Positive Discipline parenting classes for their clients and/or use Adlerian-based concepts and strategies in their sessions.
- Positive Discipline in the Classroom (2 days) – This workshop is designed for teachers, counselors, school staff and administrators who want an effective discipline approach that integrates social and emotional learning while reducing challenging student behaviors.
- Bullying: Everybody’s Problem (2 hours) – This workshop is designed to teach participants how to talk to children about the issue, how to recognize harmful behaviors, its characteristics and effects and how to prevent the problem.
Professional Training
FSN’s staff is fully accredited to train other professionals in:
- ACT Raising Safe Kids Program (2 days) – This workshop is the first step to become a Certified ACT Facilitator and is designed to introduce professionals to the ACT program curriculum. The curriculum includes information on child development, how children experience violence, risk factors for child violence in the family and its consequences, parenting styles, protective factors and skills for effective parenting, positive conflict resolution interventions with children, how to discipline vs. punish children and how to take the program into your community.
- Whom Should I Tell? (WSIT) This two-day training is the first step to become a Certified WSIT Facilitator. It is designed to guide professionals throughout the program curriculum. The curriculum is designed to teach parents the tools to prevent, recognize and report child sexual abuse.
Astrid Gamez, M.A.
Executive Director
Astrid M. Gámez, MA is the founder and Executive Director of Family Services Network. For the past 18 years, Ms. Gámez has been serving local communities in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area.
Ms. Gámez developed the “Whom Should I Tell?” curriculum program a comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention program that teaches parents and caregivers the practical tools and techniques to prevent, recognize and report any type of sexual child abuse.
As an ACT –RSK Master Trainer, Ms. Gámez has trained facilitators in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, the Melissa Institute in Miami, FL., and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador. In addition, she has conducted training programs at the Instituto de Capacitación Los Alamos in Itagui, Colombia and the Universidad La Sabana, in Chia, Colombia.
Ms. Gámez holds an M.A in Prevention and Treatment of Family Violence: Children, Couples and the Elderly from the Univesitat de Barcelona, Spain and a B.A. in psychology with a certification in child welfare from George Mason University.
OMIERA ELMOCKASHFI
Program Coordinator
Omiera an experienced literature, math and science high school teacher. As a mother of two, she knows the challenges and rewards that parents face racing healthy and safe kids. Driven by the challenge to raise her children in a bicultural home, Omiera takes pride in providing a supportive learning experience to parents attending the Parenting Wisely Program and Strengthening Families Program. Her goals as a program coordinator include: provide education, resources and guidance for Arabic speaking parents looking for answers about parenting and cultural differences.
Ms. Elmockashfi has volunteered at Bailey’s Elementary School for 8 years. She earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Khartoum Technical College Khartoum, Sudan. She is fluent in reading, writing and speaking Araabic.
Family Services Network recognized Omiere for her extraordinary commitment and support of the Arabic speaking community in Northern Virginia.
MELISSA LOYOLA
Volunteer Coordinator
Melissa Loyola has an extensive experience working with diverse population. As a volunteer coordinator, Melissa’s goal is to raise awareness of the role and the function of volunteer and develop partnerships with local organizations and private companies. She also works with multiples agencies across different sectors in order to establish good working relationship to influence decisions about volunteering.
Ms. Loyola is a assistant teacher at Fairfax County Public School. She is bilingual in Spanish/English.
In Family Services Network, we are very pleased to have Melissa in our team. Her passion and commitment to help the Hispanic and other minorities in Northern Virginia to become self-sufficient make our teamwork
Melissa earned a B.A. in Sociology from Queen College, NY.
Shiara M. Francisquini Oquendo, Psy.D.
Dr. Shiara M. Francisquini Oquendo holds a Bachelor in Arts with a concentration in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus; a Master of Science with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from the Carlos Albizu Univbersity, San Juan Campus, and a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from the aforementioned university. In addition to her experience in the provision of mental health services, Dr. Francisquini has thirteen years of teaching experience in higher education institutions and seventeen years of experience in public policy planning, program evaluation and social research.
Currently, Dr. Francisquini serves as Psychology and Counseling Manager at the Support Center for Victims of Crime of the Inter American University, known by its Spanish acronym as CAVIC. In addition, she works as a Clinical Psychologist and Consultant at the Autonomous Municipal Government of Carolina and the Network for the Rights Children and Youth. In addition, she serves as a Lecturer at the School of Professional Studies of the Ana G. Méndez University Systems, and since 2011 is the Coordinator and Master Trainer of the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program in Puerto Rico.