I worked with a grandfather who took his grandchild in to raise him. As I worked with him, I learned the grandfather had very old school way of discipline which are frowned upon in today's age. At intake, I witnessed a situation that made me realized that there was a...

One of my clients, a mom of three children, two of which are in foster care, has reminded me that just 'being there' can make a lot of difference. The children in foster care have had multiple issues with the foster parent that resulted in a lot of tension. One...

At the end of January 2023, one of the children I work with was hospitalized due to mentalhealth concerns. The hospital was an hour drive from the office. It had been snowing for muchof the day, and was still snowing during my drive to the hospital. The only thing I...

In the FTM program we meet a family that we have not had a long relationship with and help themaddress the issues they are facing. I received a referral to facilitate an FTM for a removal for two teensfrom their father. The nature of the removal placed the teens in...

In the summer of 2022, through a referral I had the opportunity to work with a domestic violence survivor. We will call her Mary. Mary was a single mother and one of her children has special needs. She was on the verge of homelessness but determined to change her...

When you’re working with at-risk youth, you have to be able to recognize--and be proud of--thesmall achievements. My work with Liam * (*fictitious name to protect the identity of the client),gave me plenty of opportunities to practice this philosophy. He was a...

Through our Family Team Meeting (FTM) program, I met a family I would later work with for Foster Home Licensing. I was the foster care worker for this family’s previous adoptions. I was thrilled to be able to work with them again. Recently an older youth was placed in...

I made a difference in the life of a 9-year-old girl who has experienced way more trauma in her short life than many experiences in their lifetime. She also made a difference in mine. What this child experienced is unfathomable. When I first met her last year, you...

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...

When I first met my new client, we will call her Mary, I noticed her determination to succeed and make the right changes for her 4 children despite the "road blocks" with her visits.  The first family team meeting I attended, everyone praised her for how much she had...