Pregnancy Counseling
Latino Outreach
The Latino Outreach program of Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities provides culturally sensitive, bilingual pregnancy counseling and parenting education and through individualized case management and parenting groups to low income, primarily Spanish-speaking teen and adult parents in the Greater Lawrence area. It is the only program in Lawrence that provides crisis pregnancy counseling to pregnant teens and adults who are trying to sort out their feelings and consider their options for dealing with their pregnancies.
Services offered through the program include crisis pregnancy counseling, long-term case management, outreach to family members, home visits, advocacy, parenting and education support groups, and baby supplies. Targeting teen and adult Latinas, goals of the program include the following: healthy pregnancies and births, improvement in parenting and life management skills, a change in attitudes and behaviors to avoid the risk of unwanted pregnancies and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, and the avoidance of repeat crisis pregnancies to establish stable living situations.
The Latino Outreach program is a program of Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities. For more information, call 978-685-5930.
Pregnancy Counseling
Considering whether or not to parent your child is a difficult decision. Catholic Charities provides free counseling to pregnant individuals or couples, or parents of very young children to determine whether the plan of adoption may be the right decision for them and their child.
The goal of our pregnancy counseling program is to provide individuals and couples with the information they need and support them while they make an informed and uncoerced decision. Experienced social workers actively involve pregnant individuals and couples, and parents of very young children in designing a plan for adoption. Parents will have the opportunity to choose a family with which they feel comfortable. They can even meet and get to know them if they wish. Support is offered if they decide to parent the child themselves, and interim care is available if they need more time to make a decision.
Catholic Charities is a licensed adoption agency that works closely with several other well-established programs to find families that match the wishes of parents interested in making a plan of adoption.
For more information about Pregnancy Counseling, contact one of the following individuals:
Wendy Vandenhoeck
Catholic Charities Adoption Program
617-268-9670
Erin Heenan
Catholic Charities North
781-593-2312
Janice Anderson
Catholic Charities South
508-587-0815
Sante Manman Se Sante Petit
The Santé Manman Sé Santé Petit Program, which translated from Haitian Creole means “the health of the mother is the health of the child,” provides comprehensive prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal support to the Haitian community. This program is unique in that it serves pregnant women, new parents, and infants up to 2 years of age.
The program helps to promote a healthy pregnancy for the mother by increasing prenatal care and providing infant and family counseling. It also aids in avoiding developmental delays by ensuring that babies are healthy and helps prevent child abuse and neglect by making certain that babies receive adequate care. Parents are supported in nurturing positive outcomes for their children by strengthening their parenting skills and in preventing psychosocial problems from escalating in the mother by improving her emotional health and, therefore, her family.
The Santé Manman Sé Santé Petit Program is a program of Catholic Charities Haitian Multi-Service Center. For more information, call 617-506-6600