At 14 years old, Taylor was fighting with his mom and his siblings and was becoming known as a behavior problem at school. He was angry, verbally and physically aggressive, and his mom was terrified that things would get worse as he grew older.
Knowing that they needed help as a family, Taylor and his mom began a short-term family therapy program at Western Youth Services.
At first, Taylor resisted, but once he realized that the therapy was focused on helping them find positive ways to communicate with each other, rather than being a punishment for his behavior, he started to open up and engage with the therapist and his mother. Throughout the treatment, steady progress was made. They worked together to learn to respect each other and agreed that rules and boundaries help Taylor become more independent and responsible. His mom began to understand that Taylor was not trying to be defiant; rather he struggled with communicating his needs in a way that helped him feel validated. Taylor worked on ways to manage his anger by processing previous trauma, and his mother sought additional support through Western Youth Services parenting groups.
Taylor and his mom have learned to communicate in a way they never thought possible. Most importantly, they worked together to come up with an effective solution for their family. Taylor is much happier, he is excelling in school, participating in extracurricular activities, and experiencing peace at home.
