Casey's Story
For Casey things are starting to fall into place. Thanks to the Hathaway-Sycamores Family Resource Center, Casey stopped getting into trouble and started to become a role model for his younger sister. Today, Casey is a senior in high school and plans to go to college to study engineering.
But three years ago, things were very different. Casey's parents were in the midst of a bitter divorce and the entire family was feeling the stress. Casey's father, Joseph, moved out of the home and due to the financial strain was forced to take a job far away. I didn't want to abandon my son and daughter, Joseph says. But I really didn't have a choice. I had to move to a new city to keep making money so I could pay the bills.
Casey reacted by distancing himself from his family.
He ignored his school work and began hanging out with the wrong crowd. His mother, Angela, explains, Casey just stopped listening to me. It was like my son simply vanished. After a while I knew something was very wrong.
Casey started experimenting with drugs and grew increasingly volatile at school and at home, verbally and physically intimidating his sister and mother. The real crisis came when he was arrested, Joseph drove up from San Diego and attended a juvenile hearing and learned that his son had been drinking, abusing drugs, and stealing. The two started to argue and Casey had to be removed from the situation and the judge ordered him to attend counseling sessions and receive on-going therapy and treatment. The judge also encouraged the family to seek counseling as well.
Help came from Hathaway-Sycamores.
Casey was assigned a team to help him adjust his behaviors, including a psychologist and counselor. His family also received therapy and attended counseling sessions as well. Slowly, the wounds began to heal and Casey began going to the Madison Family Resource Center. The counselors there helped him with his homework, but more importantly they gave him an outlet to share his feelings and vent his frustrations.
On the right path.
At 17, Casey is in school and working hard. He attends weekly counseling sessions and continues to volunteer at the Family Resource Center helping younger children with their math and science homework. His father, Joseph, is extremely proud. This is the boy I raised and I'm thankful that Hathaway-Sycamores is there to help him become a man. I can't thank you all enough.
