Faces of Carson: Jose Torres’ legacy

Posted on July 30, 2019

Editor’s Note: Our Faces of Carson feature shares experiences from the perspective of Behavioral Health Network’s caregivers and program directors in helping individuals and families in our community.

The family of Westfield Police Officer Jose Torres, who was killed while working a road detail in the city in 2012 and is pictured with his children, made a donation to the Carson Center in his honor.

WESTFIELD – Traditional talk therapy isn’t always the best form of therapy for clients at BHN The Carson Center, especially considering many of these clients are children.

This fact inspired employees at the Center to design a space for clients to express themselves physically and rebuild important connections between their minds and their bodies. Two rooms at the center, which have been dubbed the “sensory space,” are being developed, with the project led by Program Director Alice Barber.

For many clients with anxiety or depression, or those who have experienced trauma, recovery that focuses only on the “neck up” doesn’t make a lot of sense, Alice says, as many mental illnesses are full-body experiences. Many children she and other therapists treat have physical reactions to their anxiety or traumatic experiences: they crash into things, run or jump around, or develop aversions to touch.

With these rooms, Alice aims to provide a way for these clients to engage their entire beings as they work through their trauma and anxiety and focus on their whole bodies, rather than just their brains. One room will provide a space for more active movement, and will be filled with beanbags, hula hoops, yoga balls, a small trampoline, and other objects clients can use. The other space will be a “cool down” room with calming lighting and music, an art corner, a rocking chair, and other soothing features.

Both rooms are intended to help children calm down when they’re experiencing anxiety or reliving trauma, and the child and their therapist can choose which room is better suited for them. The ultimate goal of both spaces is to help clients rebuild the connection between their minds and bodies– to “help them understand that they can do things that will help their bodies calm down, and understand the needs of their bodies in relation to their traumas, anxiety, or depression,” Alice says.

In the past decade, mental health professionals have gained awareness of the benefits of treating many types of mental illnesses as full-body issues. Until recently, BHN The Carson Center didn’t have the funding to create a space to provide this new kind of treatment. But now, the center has received a generous donation from a family with close ties to the center’s work to partially fund the project.

Jose Torres was a Westfield police officer and beloved member of the community who was killed in the line of duty in a tragic accident in 2012. His family, including his wife, Kara, and two sons, Jay and Christopher, wanted to do something to honor Jose’s legacy in a meaningful way.

The Westfield Police station is just up the street from BHN The Carson Center, and Jose often assisted therapists at the center. Kara says the donation to the center seemed like a natural way to honor Jose’s name and legacy.

“He was always a person who was aware of anxiety issues,” she says. “Jose helped so many kids in town, and we hope that the sensory space can continue his legacy, and maybe even help some of their kids.”

With the grand opening and dedication of the sensory space anticipated to take place this fall, Alice is excited to offer cutting-edge services to BHN The Carson Center’s roughly 700 clients–“We have hundreds of kids who could potentially be immediately helped by this.”

Part of the Torres family’s donation will also be used to further train the center’s therapists in sensory-based therapy. Ultimately, Alice hopes to “bring the best possible treatment to kids who may not otherwise have the opportunity”– a perfect marriage between Jose’s legacy and BHN The Carson Center’s work.

The Torres family’s donation is only the beginning of BHN The Carson Center’s goal of fully integrating this full-body, child-led therapy into our services. More funding is necessary for additional staff to receive training in these new therapeutic techniques so more children can be helped. Alice would also like to have an expert in sensory integration come visit to better educate staff about the role of this therapy in children’s mental health care.

For the sensory space to have the greatest impact on the Westfield community, we need your help. Please consider making a donation toward this project to continue Jose’s legacy of helping children with mental illnesses

Related Items:Carson Center, featured, Torres, westfield

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