Troy* and Cheryl* were at their wits end. They came to Nexus-PATH Family Healing for therapy services after recognizing their 14-year-old daughter Jana’s* behavior was getting out of hand at home. Jana would have outbursts of anger that came out of nowhere that would lead to screaming, slamming doors, and breaking things in the house. Cheryl felt like Jana was drifting away from them and grieved the loss of their once close relationship.
DEveloping Coping Skills
Jana began therapy sessions, with Troy and Cheryl joining for part of each session to work to understand what had been going on. It did not take long before Jana disclosed that she felt a lot of pressure from her parents and teachers to do well at school. The anxiety she had been holding on to each day would come out in anger outbursts once she returned home. Through therapy, Jana developed coping skills to help manage her anxiety at school and learned how to set realistic expectations for herself. Troy and Cheryl acknowledged they were expecting too much from Jana. They learned techniques to help support their daughter and how to advocate for her at school. Within four months, Jana’s anger was almost fully diminished and she often came home after school calm and happy.
Jana’s family recognized they were struggling and reached out for help. Many children and families are feeling the heaviness of daily life stressors, with them becoming more complex throughout the COVID pandemic. Mental health issues and the impact of traumatic experiences can make daily life even harder. In fact, millions nationwide suffer each year from mental health issues with one in five adults and one in six children experiencing a mental illness, many not getting the help they need or receiving it years after diagnosis. Nexus-PATH provides quality, evidence-based therapy to children, adults, and families who need support with empathy, encouragement, and commitment.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.