Welcome Meetings:
A "Welcome Meeting" is conducted with each family that checks-in to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in order to: connect with families, inform them of available resources, answer questions individuals may have, discuss issues individuals may be faced with, and set the donation amount for each night the family stays at RMH. These appointments are made by Guest Service Associates
(GSAs) or RMH volunteers that conduct the check-in. Families are given the next available appointment based on availability and language spoken. The Welcome Meeting is designed so that the FSS team member can get to know their assigned family. The FSS trainee encourages all family members to attend the Welcome Meeting. Families have the option to continue meeting with their FSS team member in the privacy of the FSS office on an ongoing basis as often as they would like. Fun Clubs:
Fun Clubs are a vital component of the support offered to families staying at RMH. A variety of types of Fun Clubs are scheduled on as many days as possible and at various times of day to meet the support needs of the RMH families. Fun Club is a set time (usually two hours) where children and parents can socialize, express themselves, support each other, and take time for self-care. RMH families are able to interact with FSS and Fun Club volunteers/leaders who strive to be non-reactive, tolerate anxiety and self soothe, and tolerate pain for growth, and who encourage the parents and children to be their best selves. Goals of Fun Club include: providing a space for children, parents and families to connect with each other and with FSS and Fun Club leaders; decreasing stress level of families staying at RMH; providing the families with support and being present with families; affording parents or caregivers the time for self-care by being able to sign in and leave their children during Fun Club while they attend to their own needs, and increasing feelings of competence of children and parents staying at RMH by participating in Fun Club. Social Hour:
FSS trainees set up a table in the communal area with a spread of snacks and drinks. Trainees sit around the table chatting and supporting any families that choose to partake in family social hour. The goal of family social hour is to provide the families and FSS Psychology Trainees with a time to connect to one another in an enjoyable and casual environment. Events:
FSS events are larger in scope than Fun Clubs (requiring more planning, collaboration, preparation, number of activities, and catered for the entire House as well as previous RMH families when possible, and requiring a larger budget). As the name states, they take place in the milieu, the shared living space of the house. Milieu Events use Shives’ 8 principles (2008) in the planning process of the event. These events require one or more leaders (FSS Psychology Trainees) who, with input from the FSS team and faculty, plan the event, develop a budget, and coordinate needed volunteers. Check out the video above for a look into the annual FSS Carnival Event! Hospital Visits:
If families staying at the RMH wish, FSS trainees will visit them at the hospital in which their child is receiving treatment. This affords the family and the FSS trainee the opportunity to connect outside of the RMH setting. FSS trainees strive to be purposeful and respectful while visiting families in this environment. Staff Trainings:
Training sessions for staff at the RMH are two-hour trainings that take place about once every two months. The goals associated with these trainings are to support GSAs and staff with some of the challenges they face when working with families or other staff members, to provide a space for GSA and staff members to come together and share their experiences and stories, and to provide GSAs and staff with tools to address various challenges and share successes. Training topics are based on a needs assessment, recommendations by the director of operations, as well as observation by FSS. Workshops:
Workshops are psycho-educational groups offered to families who are residing at RMH or have stayed at RMH in the past. Workshops are designed and led by Psychology Trainees at FSS. Workshop designs are often based on evidence based practice models, although they also address specific needs of families at the House, including, but not limited to: how to find transportation and support groups. FSS Training:
The Family/Child and Couple Emphasis (FACE) at the California School of Professional Psychology- Los Angeles (CSPP) at Alliant International University (AIU) collaborated with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Southern California in order develop a training site that was mutually beneficial. The FACE faculty created a training site where clinical psychology graduate students could receive excellent systems-based training when working with children, adults, couples and families. The RMH wanted to add a strong psychosocial component to their RMH homes and camp for very sick children and their families. RMH needed psychological assistance, consultation, therapy, workshops, and groups for their past and present families and for their staff. The RMH training site helps to facilitate the mission of the Ronald McDonald House by supporting the health and well being of children with cancer and other serious illnesses and their families during this very difficult time in their lives. The Clinical Training Program provides a variety of strengths-based clinical services to Ronald McDonald families, children and staff. These clinical services are sensitive to the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds of the children and families being served.
