Todd Sterns, Coleman Treatment Group Home
“I’ve always been drawn to help children and work with children. When I graduated from college, I initially wanted to get into juvenile probation. Then, I went to work in detention. I became a bit discouraged with how the detention system works and wanted to get to a treatment facility and help children rather than just lock them up for public safety,” Todd Sterns said.
While working in a detention facility in Springfield, South Dakota, one of Sterns’ friends had just moved to York to accept a position at a local bank.
“He was the one who pointed out an ad in the York News-Times to me. So, I came to York and met with Gordon Hall and some of the Residential Managers here at Epworth Village, Inc,” he said.
In 1994, Sterns started working as a Residential Therapeutic Specialist and later was promoted to the Residential Manager position. Today, he heads up the program at Coleman Treatment Group Home.
Overall, Sterns said Epworth is trying to, “reverse or make socially appropriate what has been socially inappropriate behavior for years.”
“We do what we can and try not to get frustrated with the children who don’t seem to get it at first. Often times, ten years down the road they will remember, ‘Well, Todd told me if I just used these coping skills than life would be easier.’ I like to think that the skills we teach the clients will come in handy for them somewhere down the road,” he said.
Sterns said every staff member serving each of the cottages has a tremendous influence on the children served by Epworth Village, Inc. He used a quote by Haim Ginott to illustrate the effect each staff person has on the clients, “Attitude is everything. All direct care staff possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. We can either be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. We can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.”
Sterns outlined some procedures the children who come in at the Treatment Group Home level of care may experience.
“We try, as gently as we can, to get them into the mix with the other clients. Their first day, we generally try to do some fun activities so they start out with the idea that this is not a bad place. I always tell the kids, ‘This place is what you make it.’ Naturally, if their behavior does not warrant involvement, they are not able to participate in activities.”
Sterns said there are strong families that come to Epworth Village, Inc. as a last resort. However, he said it is frustrating to watch many families in our nation breaking apart because of a myriad of issues.
“I think our society takes children for granted at times. We need to be teaching children the difference between right and wrong and establish a strong, moral foundation. There are thousands of children in Nebraska alone, whose parents are abusing alcohol and drugs and as a result are not giving them the nurturing they need to grow.”
Sterns said the direct care staff at Coleman Treatment Group Home and the other five cottages at Epworth Village, Inc. have an, “Extremely tough job. The one-on-one attention many of the clients need takes a lot out of an individual at times both emotionally and physically. I think the direct care staff at Epworth Village, Inc. are doing a great job that is sometimes overlooked by society. It’s a big responsibility to try and raise our youth to be socially appropriate and to teach them not to hurt others.”