KVC thanks and honors Lynn Kaufman, a therapist who recently retired after 25 years at KVC Prairie Ridge Children’s Psychiatric Hospital in Kansas City, KS. In her role, she worked with children ages 6-18 in severe distress including suicidal thoughts, extreme aggression, depression or anxiety. 

Retirement Party!

Lynn created the “grump meter,” a tool KVC adopted to teach children self-control, feeling identification, and anger management. She authored the book, Grump Meter: A Family Tool for Anger Control (thegrumpmeter.com). 

“I have watched Lynn create safe places for children under their beds, because this was the only safe place they knew,” said Jason Hooper, President of KVC Hospitals. “These children had experienced the most horrific trauma and abuse imaginable, but she found ways to apply her therapeutic approach with children that others had deemed hopeless and lost.  Lynn taught me in those moments there is always hope; children are resilient but sometimes they just need to see us “let go” before they can give in to the healing process.” 

Lynn has been a trainer of suicide prevention, education and intervention strategies; she has taught, mentored and provided clinical supervision to hundreds of students; and she has advocated for families in pain through radio, television, and print.  Lynn often volunteered to work with the most difficult families, sometimes traveling hours to work with families needing help.  Lynn has touched the lives of thousands of children and families, and will always be known to her KVC family as an innovator, a friend and a hero.