Sally* often felt scared at home due to the chaos and violence brought on by her parents’ drug abuse. They also fought a lot and often turned their aggression onto her. A judge determined that her parents’ home was not a safe place and parental rights were terminated. Sally was placed into foster care. Her memories of the abuse and not knowing how to deal with her feelings that accompany these memories can sometimes cause Sally to become explosive and aggressive. Sometimes she blames herself for the trauma and turns the aggression on herself, in the form of self-harm. Before arriving at Nexus-Gerard Family Healing, several foster homes tried to help Sally but they were not equipped with the right tools and resources to keep her safe. She needed more.
The dedicated staff at Nexus-Gerard are determined to help Sally work through her trauma and heal from the pain of her past. They help her learn skills to cope with her overwhelming emotions. They help her succeed in school so she can have that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Our staff are not only extensively trained to do this work, it is our passion.
finding a forever family
Recently, Sally asked one of our staff if they could take pictures of her so that her adoption worker could post them on her adoption web page. Sally talked about how much she hoped these pictures would help her find a loving family that wanted to adopt her. Although she is doing well at Nexus-Gerard, it just isn’t the same as having a place to call home.
When we were done with Sally’s photo shoot, she asked if we could print copies of the photos she could send one to her little sister that she hasn’t been able to see for a while. We printed off copies for Sally and assured her that we would also send copies to her adoption worker. She was so excited. All of us at Nexus-Gerard Family Healing are all hoping that a patient, loving family will find room in their hearts and home for Sally.
*Name and some details have been changed to protect privacy.
