When I first met this client, she was a single mom of girls living in a temporary home. Then, she would often state that she felt her situation was hopeless and she was a horrible mom for not being able to provide a real home to her children. In the first, visit when we talked about housing situation she would state I have tried to rent a couple of houses but the people wouldn’t rent to me because of her partner. Soon after that, she was able to move in with a friend. This helped her feel a little better, but she continued to make these statements.
As the time went on, we spent a lot of time on looking at the positive in her life. At the beginning of every session I would have her give me 3 positives about herself. Examples included making positive comments about how good her hair looked that day. She shared with me one time that her oldest daughter had been hurting and putting herself down too. The conversation then lead into me giving her “homework” on doing the positives every day and encourage her daughters to do it to.
At the end of one of the visits, the oldest walked in and stated we forgot our positives this morning, then proceeded to give her mom and I her three positives. We also worked on her communicating her thoughts and feeling and helping her girls do the same.
By the time she was completing the program, her life was taking a dramatic positive turn. When I first meet her, she had goals but felt she couldn’t ever complete them. She wanted to go back and finish college and get her own place. After spending time with her and encouraging her through multiple conversations, she built the confidence she needed to take steps towards her goals. She starts college classes next semester and will be moving into her new place in a few weeks.
By being there and encouraging her but also telling her the truth, I could see the growth and the difference it made in her live. I showed her that no matter what mistakes you make in your life, you can still be a good person and reach your dreams.
