“For every step forward, it seemed Jim* would take two steps back,” says Greg*, a counselor from the Outreach Community Counseling Center. When Jim began individual and family counseling with the Outreach Community Counseling Center, he was just 16 years old. On probation and under house arrest, Jim was living with his mom and 11-year-old sister and not attending school.
“He had a lengthy police record which included arrests for breaking and entering and theft,” says Greg. “A history of substance abuse contributed to his mood disorder. He’d been hospitalized three times for attempted suicide and self-injury.”
The First Step
Because Jim was under house arrest, Greg met with him and his family at their apartment. They worked as a family on basic communication skills and setting clear, consistent guidelines. “We worked on finding other avenues to control his temper and disappointment,” says Greg. “Our progress was very slow. Conflict in his home life often led Jim to make poor choices. In turn, that led to more trouble with police and his probation officer.”
For the next year, Jim was in and out of the youth detention center and the hospital. He ran away several times and often threatened to flee the country. Again and again, Greg and Jim would pick up the pieces and start over.
But something kept Jim coming back—Greg was always there waiting to help him over his next hurdle. “He knew I was a constant,” Greg says. “Gradually Jim began to make better choices and set realistic goals for himself. He stopped blaming his family and others for his problems. He completed his GED and obtained a part-time job.”
Moving On
Jim also began a steady relationship with a young lady and learned very quickly he didn’t need drugs or alcohol to cope with disappointment and stress. At age 18, two and a half years after starting therapy, Jim had achieved his treatment goals!
“Through the therapy at the Outreach Community Counseling Center, Jim was offered a consistent plan of treatment,” says Greg. “But it was Jim’s desire to get better that saw him through to the end goal.” In fact, at his final therapy session, he told Greg that his next goal was moving to the city to live and work full-time.
Recently, more than a year after that final session, Jim called Greg. He announced that he was doing very well. He was staying clean and sober, had a great job, and just became engaged! To celebrate, he invited Greg out to lunch and paid for the entire meal. Jim had truly come full circle.
*Names changed to protect identity.