Courtney Siegel Landes admits that her 18-year-old self would not have expected her to be where she is today. But now, as a licensed clinical social worker and supervisor at Fort Worth\u2019s Lena Pope, she points to the late Evelyn Siegel<\/a> \u2014 a Fort Worth artist, volunteer and activist, and her grandmother \u2014 as an inspiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you ask why I do what I do, a lot of that comes from my grandma,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was a lot of that inspiration.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, finding her way onto the path of social work involved a few detours.\u00a0<\/p>\n After graduating from Fort Worth Country Day school, Landes headed to the University of Texas in Austin, earning both a bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degree in Latin American Studies, followed by another master\u2019s degree in social work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just always felt a desire to work with the community beyond my little bubble,\u201d she said. \u201cI just wanted to be a part of something bigger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Landes didn\u2019t know it then, but that \u201cbigger\u201d part was just down the road from her former high school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Returning to Fort Worth in 2013, she spent two years working at JPS hospital system, volunteering at The Warm Place nonprofit for kids who\u2019ve lost loved ones, and was on the board at Gill Children\u2019s Services before the birth of her twins.\u00a0<\/p>\n After two years at JPS as an inpatient social worker for women’s services, Landes joined the team at Lena Pope, the 96-year-old Fort Worth nonprofit that was originally established as an orphanage for dependent and neglected children. It has since evolved into a multiservice agency providing child and family counseling, early learning education and behavioral intervention programs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an incredible, incredible team of professionals here that has such specialized training,\u201d she said. \u201cWe provide really high quality mental health services to people who otherwise might not be able to get it. I love that we’re able to provide families who might not get that level of treatment, that service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n What Landes does as a therapist is key to the success of many area families.<\/p>\n \u201cCourtney cares deeply for the population that we primarily serve,\u201d said Katye LaNier, chief marketing officer at Lena Pope. \u201cHer impact is not just in the Fort Worth community, but nationwide. Courtney is a person who consistently goes over and above.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As leader of the clinical team in the consulting department, Landes has worked with children, adolescents and families through the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program and other counseling programs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n That includes Project SAFeR or Project Safety and Family Resiliency, a program that tackles a difficult subject: problematic sexual behaviors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The counselors work with children and families dealing with that issue by offering specialized therapy for both the child and adults to modify what could be predatory behavior. The program is designed to prevent future problematic sexual behaviors.<\/p>\n Project SAFeR is one of Tarrant County\u2019s juvenile diversion programs that focus on rehabilitation, treatment, and counseling, rather than adjudication and punishment. It\u2019s designed to keep youths 3 to 17 years old out of the traditional juvenile justice system and put them on a positive path.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2015, Lena Pope became the first program in Texas trained on that curriculum, which was developed by the University of Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n Landes was part of the original team that took the training.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the past 11 years, Lena Pope counselors have worked with over 600 families in the program, which focuses on individuals 3 to 18 years old. Along with Tarrant County, Lena Pope works with Parker and Johnson counties to provide the program there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Landes said few of the children who go through the program later end up in the juvenile justice system for violations. \u201cIt’s been researched over and over at OU, and it has a 2% to 3% recidivism rate,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really effective,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lisa Herrick, a board-certified juvenile specialist attorney at the Varghese Summersett family law group, said she is a proponent of Project SAFeR because it gives children and families a chance to address serious issues early, with treatment, supervision and support instead of punishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n “These are young children, and the goal is to correct behavior, build healthy boundaries, and help families move forward before one mistake becomes a lifelong label,\u201d she said. \u201cI have seen how meaningful early intervention can be, and that is why I strongly support the program.”<\/p>\n Seeing the progress made by her clients and their families is what makes Landes glad she found this path.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHearing the impact that our counseling department has made, hearing stories of healing within the counseling department, are really satisfying,\u201d she said. \u201cI tell people all the time that this is a place that you can feel really proud to be a part of. It\u2019s a privilege.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lena Pope is beneficiary of 30th annual DFW Restaurant Week\u00a0<\/p>\n The 30th annual DFW Restaurant Week begins Aug. 10 and runs through Sept. 7. Lena Pope is the Tarrant area beneficiary once again.<\/p>\n With more than $3 million raised for Lena Pope since 1998, DFW Restaurant Week is one of Lena Pope\u2019s largest annual fundraising events<\/p>\n