Center Harmony

Grandparent headed households are an important phenomenon in today’s society. In the United States, about 4.5 million children under 18 are raised by their grandparents. Most of these families live in poverty or beyond the threshold. Furthermore, no parent is present at home for about one third of these children. There are many reasons for the increasing number of grandparent headed households (they grew by 13 percent between 1991 and 1993, for instance): child abandonment, violence, incarceration, death, unemployment and economic hardship, teenage pregnancy, HIV infection and AIDS, substance abuse, …

The offences of women prisoners are prevailingly related to drugs, prostitution or crimes related to domestic abuse. They are often themselves victims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. Most are sentenced for non-violent crimes. According to statistics just under 6% of the total prison population in the United Kingdom constitutes female offenders. However, a whopping 66% (above 70% in the US) have dependent children, and around one third of them are sole guardians. These women feel they have failed as parents and suffer the shame and separation from their children. …

 
Pregnancy is a marvel of nature that cannot be compared easily to any other experience in a woman’s lifetime. The bond between mother and child in the womb is one of a kind. How you live and take care of yourself directly affects the baby inside you, and most pregnant women change their lifestyle to a healthier diet, improve their sleeping habits, quit smoking, and undertake some light exercises to keep fit. Breathing, however, should not be overlooked. Although all of us have learned to breathe since the moment we …

Modern life is a constant bombardment of stressful situations on our mind, body and soul. Loud music from the neighbours, a traffic jam on your way to work, strict deadlines, bills and credit cards, stressful meetings or confrontations: these are just some of the examples. Our body reacts to all these threats by releasing stress hormones and preparing the body to fight – blood pressure goes up, our muscles tense up, the heartbeat increases, breathing becomes shallow, and the pupils dilate. A combination of constant tension-inducing factors can exhaust your …