The event honors those in our community who champion whole-person wellness and spearhead efforts to curb stigma and advance treatments for mental illnesses, substance abuse, homelessness and joblessness.
“A Hero in Mental Health, Dr. Hadley’s leadership and devotion to the healing of emotionally injured children is exceptional, impacting the lives of thousands of children and families in Southern Colorado over the past 20 years,” reads Hadley’s nomination letter.
Hadley is the founder and president of First Steps Spiritual Center in downtown Colorado Springs. The center helps kids and teens heal from grief stemming from the loss of a parent, friend or family member (through suicide, deployment, death or divorce) or physical, mental or sexual trauma. Her nationally and internationally recognized model of care serves more than 200 children and families per year at no cost.
“Impacting the spiritual healing of an injured child, her model and methodology have been standardized, replicated and utilized stand-alone or integrated with traditional therapy models,” the nomination letter continues. “Furthermore, children from a variety of faith traditions, including those with no faith tradition, have found benefit in these services.”
When Hadley, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and a specialist in the area of children's spirituality, began First Steps 10 years ago she feared backlash from the therapists in the community who might think her work was a hindrance to the therapeutic process. She was pleased to find the opposite occurred and has since developed deep-rooted partnerships with the psychological community.
“There is a place for spirituality in the mental health for children,” Hadley said. “I see the results in the children and it’s an honor that the people I admire in the community see the value in it, too.”
Hadley uses a model she developed called Creatasphere, which uses healing in an atmosphere of art. “Most children express themselves in spiritual terms, even if we don’t recognize it, and I develop tools that help them connect to this symbolically.”
One of those tools is a rock. “They help children put into words what they can’t express on their own sometimes. One rock has a hole in it, and the child might say, ‘This is the hole in my heart,’” Hadley said. “I believe, for most children, if they can name the pain, they can have mastery over it.”
Like her tools, Hadley is a steady rock for the community.
We hope you can join us for an inspirational event that will benefit children, families and military in our community. Learn more about the luncheon and keynote speaker Chris Crowley, author of the New York Times best-selling book “Younger Next Year” here and buy tickets here.
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