Episode 16: B.O.S.S. United- Helping kids and families be successful with Barry Frazier and Richard Hamilton

B.O.S.S. United (Believers of Sincere Standards United, Inc)

Specializing in helping kids and families be successful!

Barry Frazier, CEO, MDIV MA LPC

Richard Hamilton, Chief Clinical officer, MA LPC

The vision for BOSS united grew out of a mentor program at Barry's undergraduate university. According to Barry, "I grew up in a very urban area that was not conducive to being successful. I wanted to give back to kids who were like me." 

During my show preparation, I ran across the term cognitive behavioral therapy on their website. This is a term that I am not quite familiar with so I asked what it meant...in my layman's version...It has to do with how they get people to change. Basically, it has to do with addressing the way a person thinks and behaves. This was a fascinating discussion to me.

I asked them to identify and talk about some of the major issues that they have to address with families. Richard explained, "Most frequently it is family conflict. The members of the family don't know how to express themselves." On top of this, they explained "children are often dealing with anger, anxiety, depression, and a lack of focus." 

They work with kids who range in ages from five to twenty, if the twenty year old is still in school.

Barry and Richard talk about how it is important to see the world through the lenses of the kids. In other words, to see and approach their behaviors from an understanding of where the kids are coming from.

They have created another aspect of B.O.S.S which is named F.O. C.U.S. (Fathers Offering Counseling Understanding and Support).

This program is designed to introduce boys to proper male role models. The group studies leadership, dress for success, anger management, speaking, addressing young ladies, as well as other topics.

When asked about advice for teachers and school administrators, Barry and Richard offered, "It  is important to be patient." They encouraged educators to revisit human growth and development writings. They suggested dusting off the books and becoming familiar with what happens at different ages. The point being that the adult will be more patient when he recognizes behavior that is typical for the age.

I learned much from this discussion. I know that you will, too!

By the way, we were in a Chick-fil-A that was fairly empty when we started the interview, but rapidly was filled with moms and kids. We were right next to the playground which added a nice nuance for a discussion about helping children and their families. At one point, there was a little boy, knocking on the glass trying to get us to look and his mom mouthing apologies as she lead him back to the slide. What a nice, happy environment! 

You can learn more about BOSS United at www.bossunited.com

Enjoy!

Length 29:39