Child & Family Center

Emma

Emma went to live with her grandma when she was 14 years old. Her father had been in prison since she was a toddler. Her mother strug­gled with alcohol abuse and was not always available for her. Her mother was in and out of jail through the years and finally her grandma took Emma in to live with her.

Emma had a difficult time adjusting to her new home and her grandma’s strict rules. She started hanging out with the wrong crowd. They were smoking marijuana at school. This led to using prescription drugs. Her grandma caught her stealing medi­cation from her medicine cabinet. Emma’s grandma knew she needed help and brought her to Child & Family Center.

At first, Emma would not participate in the group sessions. During conversations with her therapist, she revealed that she felt abandoned by her parents. She was de­pressed and lonely. The drugs helped to ease her pain. During the six-month pro­gram, Emma began to open up more. She never missed a session and was dedicat­ed to making a change. It’s been a year since Emma has finished the program and she is clean from using drugs. She is doing well in school, has a part-time job and plans to enroll in college next year.