Holy Child

About this Ministry

The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist oversee this program near Bethlehem. The Holy Child Program provides an intense therapeutic day treatment program and alternative education for children in the Holy Land who suffer from complex mental health issues. It also provides a sanctuary of safety for the families of the region. The program facilitates the acquisition and development of new skills, recovery and rehabilitation from trauma, builds resiliency, and instills hope for the future through a community of caring by committed professionals.

The beliefs and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church provide the framework within which the services of the Holy Child Program.

The Holy Child Program

Intense Therapeutic Day Treatment

The Holy Child Program is committed to providing evidence-based treatment services which have been proven to be effective with their specific population. Their staff receives regular training in different therapy modalities including behavior modification, emotion regulation skills and trauma therapy techniques. The Holy Child Program provides an individualized program for each child to accommodate his or her unique strengths and needs. We creatively seek to highlight and integrate the rich cultural heritage of the Holy Land through experiential learning activities such as folklore, dancing, music and food. We provide individual learning activities to facilitate each child’s return to community based education.

Beliefs

They believe that each child is part of a larger ecological system. In order to treat the child, we must serve the whole system. Holy Child Program impacts the system at multiple levels by providing:

• Certified Alternative Education program • Individual & Family Counseling
• Parent Education Group
• Mothers Group
• Milieu Therapy
• Adjunct Therapeutic Activities: Music, Animal, Dance and Art
• Home visits, crisis counseling and referrals to medical and social services as needed.
• Summer Therapy Program
• HOW WE CAN HELP SUPPORT THIS MISSION of Instilling hope through healing

The Holy Child Program is entirely dependent upon donations for annual operating costs. None of the families being served is able to pay full tuition and very few can even meet the token fee. The intense nature of services being provided necessitates a high child to staff ratio.

Since it is the only program in the region which serves this population, it is imperative that the Holy Child Program continue.

Expanding Services

The Holy Child Program envisions expanding services through collaborative partnerships with local providers to increase the range of services being offered. Additionally, the program can provide a unique training center where local and international professionals can together learn and develop programs which help heal and strengthen the children and families of this region.

Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist

The program is staffed by a vibrant team of local community professionals with oversight of the Bethlehem Holy Child Program Corporation. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, who founded the program, continue as consultants and offer spiritual guidance.

The staff has a deep understanding of the children’s needs. Through close teamwork and patient perseverance in the face of unique challenges, the staff creatively develops an innovative, culturally adaptive, family-centered healing environment.