By Robert Cristo The Record

COHOES – With the help of a $24,500 grant, therapists at the Counseling Care & Services INC offices at 405 Vliet Blvd. can now offer free guidance to help fami­lies on the road to a better rela­tionship.

Executive Director Marilyn Wheeler and her staff, are currently looking for about 30 eligible families to take part in The Family Hope Project, which is designed to assist parents with school aged children in getting through challenging times.

The program is also geared toward families who have at least one child, Call1lot afford the services provided and are willing to attend at least 10 sessions of free counseling.

"We want to give people the full benefit of our services so we can build a relationship that will help families handle current problems and find solutions for future emotional dilemmas," said Wheeler, who usually charges a sliding scale rate of between $15 to $65.

family therapy and referrals to other services.

"We work to ameliorate unre­solved issues before they explode into bigger problems," said Wheeler, who received the grant from a philanthropic organization titled the Community Foundation of the Capital Region.

Through the grant, families who may be dealing with behavior problems in their children will learn about how their own behavior might be the root cause of the problem.

Whether it might be being a single mother trying to work two jobs, substance abuse problems, divorce, death of a parent, or some other dilemma, therapists I will spend the 10 sessions getting to the root of the child's or teenager's distress.

"There's really no recipe for success because each family's problems are totally unique," she said. "We look to help parents get a more in-depth understanding of I their problems and help children I express themselves better with their parents on emotional topics."

According to Wheeler, often I times the first clear sign of a problem at home is a child's or teenager's sudden declining performance in the classroom.

For young children dealing with emotional scars, the center offers the typical forms of therapy, as well as, an opportunity for the young ones to express themselves through toys, drawing, puppets and other fun materials. For the teens, they can bring music that comforts them or write poetry to help establish to point of their distress. Another aspect of the grant is to study the effectiveness of the treatment provided at the center. Consulting Psychologist Myrna Friedlander, of the University at Albany, will evaluate the project.

The center is located behind St. John's Episcopal Church, but is not affiliated with the church. Those interested in participating will be asked to fill out questionnaires before, during and after treatment, so counselors can learn about what practices were helpful or didn't work.