Natalie
Natalie came to Western Youth Services because she was starting to get into trouble at home and at school for losing her temper and shouting at her family and friends. She wanted help but wasn’t sure what that meant. She explained that she felt a deep sadness most days and was confused about her sexual […]
Brianna
Brianna was adopted by her aunt and uncle at a young age and then removed from their home at age 14 because of physical abuse. At the start of therapy at Western Youth Services, Brianna was not concentrating in school, skipping classes, and feeling unmotivated and sad. She was recently reunified with her aunt and […]
Jade
From the very moment we saw Jade, it was apparent how much she was hurting and how critically she needed the support of her mother. When Jade came to Western Youth Services she was dealing with issues related to anger and impulsivity. She was experiencing suicidal thoughts that had led to multiple hospitalizations. She was […]
Kira
When Kira was referred to WYS from the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) eating disorder clinic, she was suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) which is where you can’t stop thinking about your real or perceived flaws. In Kira’s case, her BDD resulted in her restricting her eating, exercising three times a day, leading […]
Amara
At 13 years old Amara was living in foster care, depressed and dealing with the complicated feelings that came from being separated from her family. She struggled with feeling depressed on a daily basis, became increasingly withdrawn and was receiving poor grades. She felt the family that she was living with weren’t taking the time […]
Evan
When Evan came to WYS he was having suicidal thoughts, auditory hallucinations and social anxiety. He was also struggling with failure to communicate feelings, and problems eating and sleeping regularly — all of which were greatly impacting his grades at school. Evan was demonstrating a high degree of hopelessness, non-compliance with his medication, and resistance […]