Cassandra’s 13 year-old daughter was referred to Western Youth Services for behavioral concerns. After visiting with her family, our Outreach and Engagement Specialist felt that all the members of her family could benefit from our services. Cassandra was separated from her husband and raising 5 children alone. She was living in poverty, had signs of anxiety and depression, and was overwhelmed with her life.
Our WYS Parent Partner worked with Cassandra to build resilience, teach the importance of self-care, increase her protective factors, and help improve her relationship with her children. Cassandra met with a WYS Clinician for individual therapy to help with many unresolved issues from her childhood. Our Parent Partner walked hand in hand with Cassandra through her entire healing journey to assure mom felt comfortable and strong. Cassandra is now able to seek additional services for her family and has confidence in her ability to raise all 5 children on her own. In Cassandra’s own words, “Life was black and white, but thanks to you, now our lives have color.”
Our Specialist provided case management services for her other teenage children as well. Each youth faced different challenges, including anger, anxiety, and high risk behaviors, but all shared the desire for more attention from their mom. While mom was working on her skills, our Specialist helped all three teens develop their own coping skills, checked in on their school progress, and helped them understand their role as older siblings. As Cassandra made positive changes, her children started to show positive changes at home and at school. They are all helping around the house more and there is less fighting between them. Although the family continues to struggle through the challenges of poverty, they are more resilient and have a positive outlook on their ability to handle life’s adversities together.
