Sarah & Sam
Sarah was overwhelmed when she contacted WYS. She is the parent of Sam, an angry 17-year-old. Although Sarah knew that Sam needed help, he refused therapy and Sarah wondered what to do for him. Sarah learned that WYS could help her learn how to cope with her situation and how to be the best parent […]
Maddison
Maddison came to WYS as an overwhelmed mom of three kids. Initially, she was seeking counseling for her 12-year-old son Brian who was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and autism. He was being bullied at school and started to run away from school to avoid facing his bullies. As her story started to unfold, the therapist […]
Angel
Our story of Angel and his mom provides a unique glimpse into a family therapy session. Eleven-year-old Angel had been meeting individually with the WYS therapist to establish trust and to learn about him. The therapist asked Angel’s mom, Rosa, to schedule a special time to meet together as a family. The therapist felt there […]
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 […]
Carmen
Carmen was seeking mental health services due to her crippling anxiety, depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, and recurring panic attacks. Having suffered from gang-related trauma, at the time of her intake Carmen’s symptoms were so severe that they resulted in her frequently visiting the Emergency Room due to physical complaints. She’d not attended her high school […]
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 […]
Cora
When seven year old Cora came to WYS, her mother had initially noticed that her daughter seemed to be shutting down — having unexplained emotional outbursts and developing a new fear of being separated from her mother. At the beginning of treatment, the magnitude of the issues they were facing were immediately discovered when Cora […]
Peter
WYS services are driven by the client and what they want to accomplish through therapy, so we ask our clients frequently if the sessions are going well and if the child and/or family feel therapy is progressing. One way we ask about this is by using a measure called the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ). The […]