Can you imagine what it feels like for your whole life to turn upside down?
That’s what happened to 14-year-old Arianna* and her younger sister, Tammy*, when they were removed from their home after witnessing physical abuse. Being in the military, their dad, Bill* was away from home a lot and was managing his own generational trauma and abandonment. Bill and their mom, Sally*, didn’t know how to meet Arianna’s and Tammy’s needs. When faced with extremely stressful situations like that, parents are more prone to reacting in negative ways. As a result, both girls went to live with foster parents.
Arianna felt scared and alone being away from the only home she ever knew. She began seeing one of Brightpoint’s therapists in the statewide mental health and wellness program that supports children and families involved with the child welfare system for counseling, encouragement, and healing.
Through this process, Arianna worked with her therapist to reflect on her experiences with her parents, Bill and Sally, through an exercise called a trauma narrative. This helped her make sense of her thoughts, feelings, and memories of the violent incidents she witnessed at home. A common misconception is that families experiencing abuse and neglect have a loss of love, but that simply isn’t true. Arianna knew that her parents still loved her and her sister and wanted to reunite as a family, and she felt the same way.
Over time, Arianna completed her trauma narrative with support from her therapist and eventually shared it with both of her parents during family therapy. This was a huge accomplishment for her! While it was difficult for them to hear the pain they caused Arianna, her parents engaged in an honest and open conversation with her. Bill and Sally worked through the experience together, and both parents took accountability for their own actions and healing.
Meanwhile, the therapist and case manager worked together to prepare for court. Our therapists have a strong understanding of the court system and ensured their treatment plan helped Arianna’s family work toward their goal of reunification. The case manager went to court and explained what steps have been taken to mitigate safety concerns in the home. The therapist also worked with Brightpoint’s caregiver team to provide parenting tips for Arianna’s foster parents, who were new to parenting children who have experienced trauma. These actions ensured Arianna remained in a safe and stable environment until she could return home to her family.
In the end, the love that remained present in Arianna’s family won. She joined the 18.4% of children in Illinois who are reunited with their families after being removed from their homes. While it took a lot of time and hard work, everyone did their part to heal so that they could be reunited. Arianna and Tammy moved back into their home with a renewed sense of hope and connection.
*Names have been changed to protect participants’ privacy.
