WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — As parents, we know it’s not just about ensuring our children’s physical health, but mental well-being is just as important.
A local family found themselves in crisis and reached out to a no-cost resource that helped put their son on the right path.
“We were struggling a little bit with Juan,” says Juan’s mother Paula.
His sister Valentina says, “He would take like a lot of things personally and we were getting into fights.”
“And that was affecting, obviously, the girls and me and we were looking for help,” adds Paula.
As a single mom of three, Paula knew that she needed to reach out for support, leading her to find a program in her community that does just that.
“We provide family therapy, individual counseling, and we also provide resources in the community,” says Child Advocate Fabiola Gutierres.
See also: Local adoption advocates stress mental health support as key to lasting family bonds
“And they give good coping skills to manage your anger issues, or anything related that you are struggling with emotions,” says Juan.
The program assigned a case manager and therapist to work with them.
“I always explain to the family that I’m working with them and we’re working together. We identified the needs and made the plan,” says Case Manager Beatriz Borja.
As their case manager, Beatriz also connected them to the resources in the community they needed.
“She figured out what we needed as a family, culturally and she listened to us,” says Paula.
And they are seeing results!
“I feel more at peace,” says Juan. “I’m the big brother and I should, like, behave like an example for them, you know.”
“Now like we spend a lot of time together,” says his sister Valentina, “He started having more friends and he’s hanging out more.”
“When he feels secure and he feels confident and he feels that he has assistance, he’s not alone, he can be successful,” says Beatriz.
And now that he is 18, he is on the right track to be a productive adult!
“Yeah, I feel ready, I’m prepared to be one,” he says.
For family resources and support in our area, call 833-GET-HOPE (438-4673) to speak to a Hope Navigator; and for more Forever Family stories, log onto foreverfamily.org, in partnership with ChildNet.
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