Children's Crisis Response supports families when and where they need it most.  Their work with "Cindy," age 17, "Melissa," age 15, and their stepfather illustrates this point.

Cindy and Melissa's stepfather placed the initial call to the program, requesting assistance to address Cindy's aggressive, violent behavior and Melissa's depression.  Cindy had kicked a hole in her bedroom wall. While he was recounting this incident to us on the phone, Cindy began yelling loudly in the background; a few seconds later, the call was disconnected.  As it turns out, Cindy had ripped the phone from the jack and hurled it to the floor.  Two counselors arrived at their home immediately and diffused the conflict, identified ways Cindy could communicate without resorting to belligerence or violence, and established some rules and guidelines for her to follow.  In addition, they scheduled a follow-up appointment later that week.

As they proceeded to work with this family, it became apparent that Cindy and Melissa's behaviors and outlooks, although markedly different on the surface, stemmed from the same issues.  Their biological father had physically mistreated both of them.  Mom and dad abused drugs and alcohol, thereby fueling the father's physical (and verbal) mistreatment of his daughters.  A few months after their parents' divorce, mom remarried, yet continued to struggle with her chemical addictions.  She checked herself into a drug-treatment program about a week prior to the stepfather's initial call to the CCR.  For the time being, the stepfather was raising the girls the best he could but was encountering defiance from both Cindy and Melissa; he felt alone, helpless, and defeated as a parent.

A month later, after helping the family connect with resources to address these issues, the counselors followed up with a phone call to check on their progress.  The stepfather expressed his gratitude that the CCR helped calm down the crises in his family and allowed him to realize that he is neither helpless nor alone as a parent.  Although this family still has a number of serious issues to confront and overcome before establishing a healthy, stable household, they have already made tremendous strides in rebuilding their family.  The mother successfully completed rehabilitation and has returned home.  Cindy and Melissa both agree that their relationship with their stepfather has improved.  The family attends counseling together twice a week.  Also encouraging, they are planning a family vacation this spring.

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