A mother once brought her teenage daughter to come in and talk to me. The mother was concerned with her daughter’s mood as her depression had prevented her from wanting to get out of bed most days which caused her grades to drop as she missed many days of school. Her social life eventually began to dwindle and the relationship between the teen and mother was also negatively impacted. When meeting with the mother privately she indicated that she was pretty hopeless and did not feel like much could be done with her daughter. Her daughter had seen at least five other therapists and the mother felt like nothing had seemed to work because the daughter refused to open up and talk to anyone.
I began working with the daughter one on one. After the first session her mother was amazed that her daughter came out of my office smiling and still talking. Her mother looked at me shocked saying “she never talks to anyone; how did you do that?” Over the next several months I continued to work one on one with the teen primarily, inviting her mother to the sessions on occasions when other matters needed to be talked through. At the end of our time together, the teen had not only improved her mood, her grades, and her relationship with her mother, she was doing so well in school and in life that she was able to pull up her grades, graduate on time, and even decided to move out on her own to go off to college. When the family first started with me, the daughter would barely leave her bed, and by the end of her time with me she felt comfortable and capable to pursue her educational goals while living on her own, away from home! The mother was so happy with the results that she asked that I start seeing the other child in the home to help them navigate their behavioral challenges as well!