By Terrica Hendrix
News-Leader staff
Armando and Susie Berruquin, of Dierks, were named the Therapeutic Foster Care Parents of the Year recently.
The Berruquins have been foster parents for more than 27 years. They have fostered more than 200 children.
They were nominated by Southwest Counseling and Mental Health, Inc. and received the award while in Little Rock for a foster parent training.
They are currently foster parents to three children and they’ve “resided with us for three years,” Susie Berruquin said.
“We worked as foster parents for six years through Southwest Counseling and Mental Health, Inc., then we were DHS foster parents for six years. We moved to Texas and worked as houseparents for Church of Christ Children’s homes for seven years.
“We came back to Arkansas in 2008 and we have been therapeutic parents since then,” Susie Berruquin explained.
Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center, Inc. was established more than 40 years ago to prevent, treat, and cure mental illnesses and related disorders regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
Services are provided to youth with legal problems, and individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
The center services individuals in Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller and Sevier counties and has limited services in Nevada and Pike counties.
