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Teenage boy smiling

Learning to Trust Again

Fourteen-year-old Darrin’s trauma occurred before he was old enough to remember what happened, but his body will never forget. With the help of his support team at Nexus-Gerard Family Healing, Darrin has been learning the skills to calm his body and mind when he finds himself in what he perceives to be a dangerous situation.
photo of three sibling brothers

Cherishing the Simple Things

A group of three high-spirited brothers, Joe (13), Jeremy (9), and Jared (7), had experienced significant neglect in their young lives due to their parents’ drug use. They were scared, distrusted other people, and sometimes behaved in reckless and aggressive ways because they never had the guidance to help them know how to cope with their emotions. Tim, a long-time Nexus-Kindred foster parent, knew he could make a difference in the lives of these boys.
Photo of a teenage boy in football gear

A Chance To Be A Kid

Michael was a 16-year-old with great spirit but a tough history when he arrived at Nexus-Mille Lacs. His life had been challenging. He had been shuffled in and out of multiple homes, got involved with the wrong crowd just to have a sense of belonging, and struggled to manage his mental health issues. He needed the therapy, tools, and guidance to help him move forward and live his best life. 
Picture of black teenage boy

Finding His Self-Worth

Some have described Michael as a “gentle giant” – a tall, teenage boy who enjoys reading, writing, and has a very sweet demeanor. He kept his emotions bottled up for years until he started acting out from his painful experiences at age 16. His broken self-esteem and loneliness, a result of his family’s inconsistent support and love, made it difficult for Michael to trust and accept others into his life. That all began to change when he arrived at Nexus-Woodbourne.
Allie with her softball teammates

Collaboration Brings Life & School Success

Like many small, rural districts across North Dakota, Wilton Public Schools was limited in supporting students with needs outside of the classroom — especially when it came to helping families navigate the complicated web of community resources.
Sabrina Hadro and her family

You Can Make A Difference

Sabrina knows just what it is like to be a youth in foster care. Sabrina is now a Youth Minister, married with a family of her own. She wanted to find ways to connect and give back to youth in foster care.
Jana with her mom and dad

Learning to Set Realistic Expectations

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.
Ali, Betsy, and Dane on a park bench as toddlers

Learning to Co-Regulate Emotions

Dena has three children – her seven-year old twins, Ali and Dane, and Betsy who is eight. When her children were younger, Dena and her husband struggled in their marriage. Her husband was in and out of jail and they argued a lot. Dena and her husband got a divorce and Dena needed to enroll her children into daycare. It was around this time that her children started to have lots of emotional and behavioral issues.
Sam tinkering with a toy car

Someone Who Believed in Him

Sam had been living at Nexus-Mille Lacs Family Healing for over a year, spending all of his holidays and special events with the staff there because family visits weren’t safe for him at the time. Sam worked hard with his therapist though, at times, she wondered how effective she was because Sam would often play with cars during therapy; he didn’t talk much and often didn’t appear to be listening.
Marcus with his mom

Learning Life Skills

Marcus was a determined young man. He was not going to let his past trauma define him. He worked diligently on addressing his challenges, attending school, and gaining skills toward independence.