Client Stories

Cynthia and Luca

She wanted a better life for her son. Thank you for making that possible!

4-year-old Luca was struggling with anger. Early exposure to domestic violence and his parents’ substance use was causing big behavioral challenges.

Luca’s mom, Cynthia, left his father and moved the pair to a residential treatment center to begin recovery. But all the changes were causing Luca to get worse.

Your support ensured that Luca had access to mental health services designed specifically for toddlers and their families. You also gave Cynthia the tools and support she needed to be a better mom — which helped support her recovery from addiction, too!

When we met Luca, he was having difficulty concentrating, irritability, anger, and frequent tantrums with crying, throwing and hitting. He reacted to his mother’s stress by crying and running away from her. He struggled with social skills, potty training, some speech delay and sensory issues.

Your support provided Luca with play therapy, where he learned important skills around trust, interacting with others, and expressing his needs without tantrums. Cynthia learned how trauma impacted Luca’s brain development. She learned to use positive parenting techniques to support Luca and help him use the skills he gained through therapy.

Thanks to you, Luca is happier today and successfully enrolled in school, and Cynthia continues to do well in recovery.

Cynthia says that what she learned in the program helped improve her own communication and self-regulation skills too. She is now more engaged with Luca and a better advocate for both of them.

“[You have] been such an important part of my journey by providing me with skills and support that has affirmed my ability to be a loving parent,” says Cynthia.

 

Names and images have been changed to protect client confidentiality

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