Center for Child Counseling Announces LEAD THE FIGHT panel discussion moderated by Former SC Chief Justice Barbara Pariente

Every child is filled with tremendous promise – and, as a community, we have a shared obligation to foster their potential.





policies can help create the safe, stable environments that children need to thrive. Instead, they often channel serious stress into certain communities, undermining child well-being. As a part of our Fighting ACEs Initiative, Lead the Fight brings the opportunity for local and statewide business, philanthropic, and civic leaders to learn strategies to combat the effects of childhood adversity on families and communities through education, discourse, and action through a trauma-informed equity lens. 





We invite you to join the fight. In 2021 and 2022 we will host important conversations and gatherings of leaders to learn “how and why” and choose your role in the effort to tackle the effects of ACEs.





Research shows that ACEs are at the root of many crises our community faces today. Gun violence, domestic abuse, overflowing jails, homelessness, child abuse, addiction, chronic disease, and mental illness are often the adult results of early childhood trauma. 





 “As a society, we simply can’t afford to wait for children to fall apart before we do something. From ACEs science, effective strategies have emerged. It’s time to invest in them. NOW.” Renée Layman, Center for Child Counseling. Action now is more important than ever. Strategies to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on children’s mental health is urgent.





As a community working together, we can prevent many of the critical issues we are desperately working to fix. Now is the time to ACT. Join us to LISTEN, LEARN, LEAD, and ADVOCATE for change in the Fight against ACEs in Palm Beach County and beyond. 





Leading the Fight









Barbara Pariente has been a lawyer and a judge in a career spanning over forty-six years. She served as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court from 1998 until her retirement in January of 2019. During that time she served as Chief Justice; authored over 1000 opinions; participated in cases from Bush v. Gore (the presidential election case) to Terri Schiavo to redistricting following the passage of the Fair District Amendment.





Her commitment to ensuring that cases involving children and families received the utmost attention in the court system and her advocacy for a fair and impartial judiciary are two of many issues she championed during her twenty-one year tenure on the Court. She is a strong voice for children in our child welfare and juvenile justice systems and often speaks about the impact of ACEs.





In May, Justice Pariente will facilitate a leader panel as part of an action-oriented, 3-part Lead the Fight series, developed in response to the pandemic by Justice Pariente and our CEO Renée Layman to develop long-term strategies to support children’s resilience and well-being.





Get Involved Now.





The hope of our future depends on fighting this issue together. [email=info@centerforchildcounseling.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener]Contact us[/email] to learn more about how you can get involved. Are you a business leader? Be recognized for your role in the fight.  to view opportunities this effort.





The Center for Child Counseling is the lead agency in the Southeast for ACEs training, advocacy, and evidence-based treatment. To inquire about purchasing our training or curriculum, contact .