Heading down the wrong path

When Eddie was 15 years old, his life was headed in the wrong direction. His dad has just died in a car accident, and the trauma of that, combined with a childhood riddled with hard times and the feeling that he was all alone left Eddie making all the wrong choices.

He began routinely skipping classes and wouldn’t follow his mom’s rules, constantly arguing with her. And on occasion, Eddie would push her. He would break curfew, coming home very late at night, and he starting hanging out with people in gangs. His mom was frightened for him because she didn’t know how to help him.

Eddie skipped so much school that the truancy department became involved. He was assigned to a probation program that referred his mom to Casa SAY, where Eddie could stay in a supervised environment while he and his mom got counseling. She realized that she needed help and placed Eddie at Casa SAY immediately.

Facing the consequences

At first, Eddie kept a wall up between himself and the staff. He told them that he wouldn’t talk about anything personal in counseling and declared that he hated his mom for placing him at Casa SAY. He struggled daily with going to school and having his attendance verified, with receiving immediate consequences for his actions, and with being held responsible for his choices. Counseling was equally challenging. In sessions with him mom, he would yell at her and have to be excused from the session.

Three weeks into the program, Eddie and his family were notified that the District Attorney would be prosecuting him for truancy and that his mom was also being held responsible. He threatened to run away so that neither of them would have to deal with the issue. But the counselor kept working with Eddie, encouraging him to be accountable for his actions and helping him realize that running away would not make the problem go away. The counselor assured him that Casa SAY would continue to support him while he faced what was before him.

Taking responsibility

Eventually, Eddie began taking responsibility for his actions and choices, and he opened up to the staff. He was able to share the childhood trauma of watching his dad get arrested for drugs and the experience of facing the police guns as he, his sister and his mom witnessed the arrest. He spoke of the way his dad died and how that affected him. But most importantly, Eddie began to demonstrate respect for him mom and to talk with her about how scared and alone he felt.

It’s been several months since Eddie stayed at Casa SAY, and there have been ups and downs, but Eddie and his mom keep going to their weekly counseling sessions and things are headed in the right direction. He’s living at home again, goes to school regularly, and does all his homework. He’s even enrolled in an after-school boxing program. But most importantly, Eddie doesn’t feel alone and scared anymore.

Actual names and photos have not been used in order to protect client privacy.