12/27/2023
A Message to My Friends and Colleagues:
I once heard it said that when you to come to a fork in the road – take it! And so, I have come to that fork in the road.
2024 is bringing new leadership for the 3-5-7 Model® program. I am transitioning ownership of the 3-5-7 Model® to Stephanie Wolfe, my colleague for 20 years, who fully embraced the model from the very beginning. I am honored to have her continue and advance the practices of our work through her organization, The Academy for Child Welfare Practice. Although I am slowing down, I am not retiring as I will continue to support the work of Stephanie through training and coaching programs.
Over the past 20 years, I have been honored to bring the concepts and practices of the 3-5-7 Model® to public and private agencies throughout the United States and Canada. It has been my joy, my challenges, and, at times, my surprises to the receptivity of the 3-5-7 Model® from those who learned of it. As a direct practice approach to engaging children and families, both professionals and families found it to be doable in guiding young people to know their stories. And, while seemingly simple in its concepts, the challenges have remained in skill applications and systems barriers.
In my 53 years as a social worker, I have been part of the evolutionary process of change in meeting the needs of families and children who have struggled with poverty, disruptive safe parenting, and mistrust of systems that have been to better family relationships. They have taught me so much and I will continue to provide energy and my voice for them. Their voices – their hurts, their loves, their loneliness – has been the core of our practices through applications of the 3-5-7 Model® as we have advocated for recognition of their strengths and capabilities to heal and grow in the ups and downs of living their challenging life experiences. They have taught us their needs: to know who they are, to heal from their wounds of separations, losses, and abuses, to know they are wanted and safe, and, to experience the knowing of love in families. For the many of you who have walked this journey with me in embracing the 3-5-7 Model® in your work, thank you! Thank you for your commitment to being present, listening, and affirming the stories of hope, to bring to children and young people that they are wanted, that they are enough, and that they are loved through enduring relationships, so that they might fully express their creativity, talents, and interests of who they have come here to be.
Through the 3-5-7 Model®, I have Actualized my vision of providing a guided practice that supports our work to engage children and young people in healing from the woundedness of their childhoods, and to support all their families who integrate them into their lives through relationships of love, caring, and belonging. The work continues.
So much thanks to those who have traveled this journey with me: Stephanie Wolfe, Sue Cohick, Teresa Lanza, Sharon Norrington, Kirsten Johnson, Elise Gordon, Karen Oldham, Bob Friend, Pat Gilbert, Connie Tamagi; Members of Family Builders Network; and the 1000’s of individuals-professionals, families, and young people who have supported this program – the 3-5-7 Model® – as a viable, exciting engagement practice.
Again, thank you for all your support. I am grateful for the opportunities to know and to work with so many talented and accomplished professionals, families, and young people.
In recognizing the work that many of you have been doing, for those individuals and organizations who would like to share your 3-5- 7 Model® experiences with others, I welcome your comments. I am available at darla@darlahenry.org.
-Darla L. Henry
