"Fran experienced physical and sexual abuse as a young girl at the hands of her mother's boyfriend. Now in her late 40s and divorced, Fran called the police when her teenage son struck her.

On the surface, the violence seemed to have flared during an argument about taking out the garbage. But for Fran, the fuse had been burning since she was abused as a child, and married, at 14, to a 24-year-old man.

The county's Office of Children, Youth, and Families directed the family to our Parent-Teen Conflict Program. Our therapist, working with Fran and her son, referred Fran to a Family Resources psychiatrist. Since then, she's been in treatment for depression. Fran confided to the therapist that, not only had she been unemployed and suffering chronic pain, but that she had never learned to read. Now she's making progress in her own treatment plan, trying to overcome the challenges of her childhood and learning to be a more consistent, empathetic parent. Fran's son, who is a father at 17, also is receiving treatment at Family Resources. He's taking more responsibility for his infant daughter, learning to better manage conflict with his mother, and making plans for what he will do after graduation."

-Stephen T., Family Resources Parent-Teen Conflict Counselor

"What makes this work meaningful? I've stayed with Family Resources for 14 years because working with children and adults who have been abused is more challenging than conventional mental health services work.

While it might be easier, in a way, to work with the victims, I've developed empathy even for the perpetrators and what the legal system calls 'non-offending parents'-those who don't intervene to protect the child.

What moves me is listening and understanding the other's perspective, and learning to look for small signs of transformation in a person's life. Without seeing those signs, a therapist really could get burned out. I know that I didn't make the transformation happen directly, but my involvement helped. I continue to learn different techniques, and I've had to explore a lot of things for myself.

"I've seen some miracles happen. The work has made me bigger in the heart- not so judgmental and critical. Helped me let go of a lot of petty stuff."

In previous jobs, I focused on helping parents change their behavior. This job has a stronger emotional component, and that makes it the hardest job I've ever had. I've learned to think about emotional change, not just behavior change. I never thought I could work with offenders- it's probably the most intellectually challenging part of the job. This is different from any agency I've ever worked at before."

-Daphne., Family Resources Outpatient Therapist

"It's not uncommon. We're asked to meet with a kid like Kevin about truancy issues. But once we get an appointment and show up at his home, we discover that truancy is just a symptom, and the problems behind it aren't nearly so straightforward.

Kevin, who is 14, is truant from school because he stays home to care for his 2-year-old old sister. Mom has a problem with addiction and, although sometimes she's fine, Kevin has come home from school on several occasions to find his baby sister hungry, wet, and crying. There's no telling how long Mom has been sleeping or out looking for her supplies. It was hard for him to concentrate at school, so he just stopped going. He might also discover that there is no food in the home, the utilities have been shut off, or an eviction notice is on the kitchen table.

"Kevin tells us that his mom uses drugs, mostly when she and her boyfriend have had a fight and he has beat her up. Kevin tries to protect his mom, but her boyfriend hits him if he interferes."

In this situation, we need to wear many hats. We need to persuade Kevin's mom that she needs drug and alcohol treatment, so that she doesn't lose her children. We need to work on getting a more secure housing situation, and she needs extensive counseling around the violence that threatens her and her children. The food bank could offer some assistance, and the children need counseling as well. We'll help Kevin's mom set goals and step-by-step ways to achieve them for her family and herself."

-Marie S., Family Resources Crisis Intervention Worker