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About Us

Who We Serve

Founded in 1997, Guardian House (GH) is committed to helping children and parents in high-conflict divorce situations redefine and restructure their families during this unstable transition period.

Families are considered high conflict when one or more of the following criteria is present:

(1) parental behavior precludes children from developing a positive relationship with the non-custodial parent;

(2) ongoing adult interpersonal behavior exposes children to negative messages and inappropriate role expectations;

(3) ongoing inter-parental verbal and/or physical conflict exposes children to potential emotional and/or physical harm;

(4) child physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect is alleged; or

(5) domestic violence exposes adult victims to potential physical harm (Flory 1998).

When there is no opportunity for parental contact and appropriate supervised visitation is implemented, the risk of violence to any party is reduced significantly. Through a flexible approach, Guardian House is able to work with all levels of the family: custodial parents, non-custodial parents, additional caregivers and, most importantly, children.

Our Work

 

The work we do at Guardian House is transformative – we improve the lives of children and families every day. Our continued success in providing the highest quality services depends on each of us working together and showing up to work as our “best self.”

Guardian House staff accomplish this by adhering to the highest standards of the following qualities:

Honesty: Honesty is demonstrated in what we say and what we do. It impacts our work, our relationships, and the actions we take.

Opportunity: We recognize through hard work and commitment everyone has the ability to grow and make a difference.

Understanding: We are sensitive to the needs of all individuals by demonstrating respect, empathy and cultural awareness in a non-judgmental environment.

Service: All voices matter. We support one another by treating each other with dignity, respect, and professionalism.

Excellence: We believe in personal and professional excellence and deliver high quality services to everyone.

Seventy-six percent of clients report a history of family violence at intake.

Our Philosophy

We are dedicated to ensuring that the best interest of the children – their physical, emotional and psychological safety – always comes first.

Our Staff

Our staff fosters a therapeutic approach in all we do.

Every semester, we have up to 10 masters’ level counseling students gaining clinical experience at Guardian House and are involved in almost every aspect of our programming; 90% of our supervised visits are facilitated by the counselors-in-training. Counselors-in-training are thoroughly trained in the theory of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and are guided in integrating that theory into all aspects of their work with our children and families.