Providing children and their parents with the emotional support they need to live happier lives is the focus of St. Joe’s behavioral health services program. Jaclyn Bond, one of our St. Joe’s parents, talks about how her family has benefited from its services.
I get teary eyed as I write this, because I can’t describe the helpless feeling as a parent when you are willing to give everything you have to a child who has suffered severe trauma, but you are continuously turned away. The trauma, and the behaviors, are not the child’s fault. It was hard, but we decided we were not going to give up like everyone else.
Once we found Ms. Alex at St. Joe’s, it only took a couple sessions before I realized St. Joe’s was not like other agencies. There were multiple treatment options and trauma specific therapy. Ms. Alex was the first therapist our child was able to form a relationship with and who made him feel safe. She never pushed him further than necessary and gave him the space to process and share at his own pace. The aggressive behavior displayed at other places never happened at St. Joe’s. Our child looked forward to sessions each week and wanted to share successes with her.
Once a relationship and trust were established between our child and the therapist through multiple individual sessions, we moved to Parent Child Interactive Therapy at the recommendation of Ms. Alex. This has done wonders for our family! It has helped us form a healthy family bond and attachment. We had never heard of this type of therapy before coming to St. Joes and it has been so beneficial.
What sets St. Joe’s apart from others is communication. In foster care, we often lack support or urgency from the case worker team. There are just too many children. St. Joe’s steps in and offers support for the child and the entire family. Scheduling is done online and is easily accommodated. When we check in each week, the front office staff greets us by name. I have direct communication with his therapist 24/7 if needed. In my experience, every person at St. Joe’s has the best interest of the children at heart.
I truly believe that without St. Joe’s our child’s journey would be very different. Our foster care journey would be much different. These kids have had so many people give up on them in the past. St. Joe’s does not give up on them, and it makes a world of difference to the children and the families caring for them in their time of need.
Every child deserves to feel loved, safe, heard, and understood. That’s exactly what St. Joe’s stands for and our family is forever grateful.
P.S. Have questions about our services? Complete our online form.
Thanks for sharing your story Jaclyn!
P.S. Making a difference in the lives of our SJ families and kids is simple: donate, become a respite provider, or a foster parent.
Leave a Reply