Our Lives Were out of Control… A CCYSB Success Story
In February of 2011, a guidance counselor at the middle school called me to tell me that my daughter had given her a hand-written note stating that she had thought about suicide. My life came crashing down. Then, in July, my husband passed away very suddenly. My daughter took his death very hard. She would be entering high school that September and in preparation, I took my her to her new school to meet the guidance counselor so she would have a place to go if she needed to talk to someone. She had previously been on the honor roll and would be starting AP classes — by September, she was kicked off the soccer team and the referrals started to be sent home. I didn’t even know what a referral was before that. She was receiving them for being disrespectful, disruptive behavior, and unexcused absences and was also suspended for carrying a knife to school. She was not coming home or calling to let me know where she was and had been caught with alcohol. She had received 32 school referrals and had seen 4 therapists when I finally contacted CCYSB. From the very start of the process, I felt everyone I came in contact with at Youth Service Bureau were caring and understanding. The process was well-organized and their intake coordinator asked me basic questions and explained how long everything would take. She explained that she would present my daughter’s case/situation and would then call me back and let me know which therapist would be contacting me directly. All of those steps happened just as she described and the therapist called and we discussed the situation in more detail. CCYSB worked around my work schedule and saw us in the evening. What surprised me the most is the quick turnaround in my daughter ‘s attitude and response to me as a mother. My life also changed drastically for the better. But most important of all, I believe my daughter’s life has changed in the most positive way possible. She was headed down a dead-end road very quickly and I knew I wasn’t able to communicate with her. She was angry, bitter and miserable and making everyone else in our household and school miserable. What I witnessed in the next 4 months was an absolute shock. My daughter was back on the Honor Roll and graduated . Since then, she has gotten a job and continues to communicate with me on a regular basis and for my birthday this year she even got me a dozen white roses. There are days that I cry with joy and happiness. I am so glad that I continued to pursue help and didn’t give up.
PLEASE NOTE: Names have been changed to ensure patient confidentiality. Photo is a stock image.
