Timely Intervention Making a Difference

I’D LIKE TO ASK YOU A RATHER PERSONAL QUESTION… Some of you have given this a lot of thought, and others, well, maybe you have never really thought much about it. What kind of home were you brought up in? Was it nurturing and caring? Did you grow up feeling important and valued? Did your parents affirm you and recognize your accomplishments?

For some of you reading this, I know that it is NOT hard to imagine growing up in a home where you felt insignificant. Where, day after day, you longed for someone to pursue you; to take an interest in you; someone to establish a loving and fun relationship; someone you could turn to for help; someone that nurtured and cared deeply for you.

Others of you wanted to be ignored and left alone because of the yelling and abuse that went along with being noticed. You created a world of your own because the real world around you was too painful.

Unfortunately, too many parents today think that by providing the basics of a child’s physical life, like shelter and food, it is sufficient for a child’s well-being. So many youth are dying for attention and direction. Perhaps you can relate to the story of Josh….

Josh is one of those kids that you like right away. He is an intense, yet interesting teen, fun-loving and social. Yet, one can also see, that because of his chaotic childhood, if he was surrounded by “the wrong crowd,” he would easily be influenced and would head in the wrong direction quite quickly.

Josh is fifteen years old. He came to our clinic for counseling a few months ago. His anger was getting him in trouble at home and school. The chaos of Josh’s home life has created much of his anger and depression. Though his mom tries her best to be there for him, she is overwhelmed and preoccupied with her own loneliness. Josh’s stepfather, who is an alcoholic, has little time for him. Though Josh has a lot of responsibilities at home, he feels abandoned and lonely. His need for love and attention are subjugated to the needs of others in the home.

As a young boy, Josh would often cry himself to sleep at night. Now, as a teen, he says he doesn’t want to cry. When he first came into counseling, he repeatedly said he didn’t really want to feel anything. After a few months of counseling, Josh began to open up, and soon he began to see that he could love himself, that he could feel good about himself.

Through the help of therapy, Josh has taken significant steps of growth and wholeness. He has:

  • learned appropriate ways to express anger
  • found a part-time job
  • developed a deeper capacity for self acceptance
  • learning to express his feelings
  • has developed a social and spiritual support team with his youth pastor

For Josh, help came just at the right time before it was too late. Unfortunately, for many youth, the stakes are much higher, and the outcome is not nearly as positive.

I thank God for the opportunity to work with teens like Josh. It is also a privilege to work along side colleagues like Tsega Worku, MFT. I will be referring Josh to the Equine Program that Tsega heads up.

Your prayers and financial support make is possible to counsel youth like Josh. At Spring Bay Counseling we are committed to helping and guiding youth through solid Christian principles and professional counseling.

Steven D. Unruh, MFT; M.Div.

Clinical Director

WHO NEEDS A SECOND CHANCE?

Everyone needs a second chance. Maybe even a third or a fourth. At Spring Bay Counseling, we believe that every kid deserves a chance to know that life can be better, that their live MATTERS, that there is hope in their chaotic world. Sometimes that second or third chance happens for them when positive role models are placed in their lives and Christian guidance is offered them through the process of professional counseling.

So many teens and youth today need the intervention and help that professional counseling can give. Kids are facing stress and trauma like we have never seen before. Many families cannot afford counseling and do not have the appropriate health benefits that will allow them to receive good care.

Teens that are referred to our program are seen either on a sliding scale or a no-fee basis. Your contributions to our teen scholarship fund make this possible!

Please consider a gift (tax deductible) to the Teen Scholarship Fund, or to our Equine program. Checks can be made out to Spring Bay Counseling. Please designate on the check which program you wish to support.

Your contributions are changing lives! And young lives that are changed will make a difference in the world these youth grow up in. Youth today need solid Christian guidance.

Thank you for your gift. OUR TEENS THANK YOU!

 
©2008 Spring Bay Counseling