Success Stories

Stories about our clients (not their real names) Mike – Mike came to the Bridge shelter in 2005. He had previously been living in Houston, resting his head under the freeway for many months. When he ventured to Bryan to the homeless shelter, he slept outside in empty fields. He had been homeless off and on for about 20 years. Mike was born with a seizure syndrome, a debilitating illness often not controlled by his medication. He lived on $400 a month from a SSD check. In 2006, the dorm at Twin City Mission that Mike lived in burned down. He was devastated. Mike was tired of living shelter to shelter. He filled out an application for the Transitions Housing Program and became one of its first clients. He met with a landlord and signed a lease for an apartment. It had been many years since Mike had lived in his own place. He was very proud of it, collecting odds and ends to decorate, often going through the trash that other residents had thrown away. He had mirrors along the walls, dressers and chairs and a collection of mugs. He even picked up broken toys that children had discarded and proudly placed them in the front room. One of the first things Mike’s Case Manager helped him with to become independent was go to the Social Security office. After he met with his representative, she put in an immediate increase of his SSD benefits. His income increased from $400 a month to $600. Then he went to the HUD office and applied. (He was accepted and received his coupon 3 months later) He also applied for and received food stamps. Maybe you’ve seen him walking; to the grocery store, carrying his wash blocks away to the laundry mat. He walks to his doctor appointments, and to the pharmacy to pick up all his many medications. He has attended every quarterly meeting, every home visit. He participated in all Housing activities, often winning prizes at the meetings; a BBQ set, a DVD player. When it was time to leave the Transitions Housing Program because his HUD voucher was approved, he said “Twin City Mission has been good to me; this program and my case manager have helped me a lot. Look at what I have now…an apartment, things. I have friends that come over and we eat and watch movies. I never want to go back to living in a shelter or sleeping outside.” Mike became a Supportive Housing Program client when he received HUD. A new case manager goes to his home for visits. He often does not need anything, just socialization with another human being. Mike has recently brought a homeless friend of his from Milam County to the Bridge shelter. She is doing well and has recently filled out an application for Housing. It seems Mike’s successful transition from homeless to housing has also affected his homeless friends. Cecila – In January of 2008, our Youth and Family Services Program received a phone call from a distraught mother, at one of the local hospitals with her 15 year old daughter, Cecila. Her daughter had been drugged and raped by several men. She was lucky to be alive, in fact, at one point medical personal thought she didn’t make it. The police found her unconscious and when they took her to the emergency room, she had to have her stomach pumped. When Cecila came in to visit one of the YFS counselors, she refused to talk. She had no trust and demonstrated suicidal tendencies. Before one particular session, the counselor decided to use the “feelings wheel” because Cecila kept her emotions inside and it would make her feel so much better to let every feeling out. The counselor took out the wheel and asked Cecila to set a marker on the word that expressed how she felt after being raped. She put a marker on almost every word on the chart. They went over every word in detail, one by one, and she gradually fell apart emotionally. They then focused on activities such as journaling, and playing her guitar to express her emotions. She now realizes that being raped was not her fault. And that she must continue to slowly heal. Cecila met with her counselor again, recently, and told her she was feeling good because she had separated from her previous friendship circle. She went on to say that she wants to focus on herself and that being in a relationship required her to think about the other person and that was too much work for her right now. The counselor noted how amazing this was since Cecila’s past history demonstrates a tendency for her to jump from one relationship to the next, and now she realizes it is ok to be alone and that she can satisfy her own needs. Cecila also admitted to enjoying getting involved in other people’s conflicts. She steps into fights at school and at home and tries to be the mediator and it gets to the point to where she is the one getting in trouble. Her counselor outlined the four personality types and after reading the peaceful phlegmatic, Cecila’s face dropped. She was amazed to learn that her personality desires keeping peace, and having no conflict. She felt like she gained respect and sense or worth by being the peace maker. Her main focus now is for people to respect and like her and she did not realize it was a part of her personality. She feels like she can improve if she keeps her focus on her own problems instead of trying to solve other people’s drama. Cecila said she now has a future and that nothing is going to get in her way. Anna – The summer before entering 9th grade, Anna was referred by Juvenile Court to Twin City Mission’s Youth and Family Services Program for the Anger Awareness course. The course required three class sessions to complete the material and receive a certificate. While YFS counselors are able to learn a little bit about the clients who participate in the classes, they don’t get to know them extensively. So, Anna completed the course, received her certificate, and her file was closed. A few months into the school year, the same counselor received a referral from this young lady’s school counselor explaining that the student had requested STAR (Services-To-At-Risk Youth and their families) counseling because she needed help controlling her anger. The YFS counselor began meeting with Anna once a week at her school for about an hour a session. Anna opened up immediately and shared that she felt she had trouble controlling her anger at school. Over the next few sessions, they talked about her anger, when she was most angry, what triggered her angry reactions, what tools she used to calm herself down, and other issues related to her angry behavior. Early on, they discussed short-term approaches to help her see some improvement immediately, such as having a signal for her teachers, taking five minutes in the hall, having a stress ball, talking with the school counselor, and so forth. After a few sessions they noticed a trend in her angry behavior…it only occurred at school. At that point Anna and her YFS counselor began to explore similarities and differences between the school and home environment. It was when they completed a GENOGRAM and talked extensively about her family that it became clear that this young lady felt she did not have a quality relationship with her mom. She expressed a desire to be able to just sit and talk with her mom, for her mom not to yell at her everyday, and to feel like she did some things right and not everything wrong. Anna expressed a desire to be disciplined and for her mom to show her some attention. Anna felt resentment and anger at her mom, but was unable to express that at home, so she let all of her anger out at school. The counselor then set up an appointment with Anna and her mother. Before that first family session, Anna began reporting improvements in her ability to control her anger at school. I appeared that just having an understanding of what was going on within her helped. Anna and her counselor both shared with mom what insights they had gained through their discussions in counseling. The counselor then taught them a technique she uses frequently with children and their parents called reflective listening. By the end of the session, Anna had had an opportunity to calmly, and safely, tell her mother what she was feeling and what she was wanting from her. She wanted to be able to talk with her mom, she wanted her mom to be proud of her and not yell at her all the time, she wanted her mom to teach her things and not just get mad at her, and she wanted to be connected with her mom. Anna’s mom was very receptive and even began to cry when she heard what her daughter was expressing. Mom also had an opportunity to explain why she believed she behaved the way she did, as well as her concerns over protecting her daughter and making sure she could meet all the family’s needs. Anna and her mom talked about working together to help the family and ways they could build a stronger relationship. Part of the method employed by the counselor is a process called reflective listening with the participants and ask them what they liked about it, what they did not like, how this type of conversation is similar or different from the type of conversation they have outside the counseling setting. The clients are then encouraged to take this technique home with them and practice using it because they have already seen its effectiveness. The counselor met with Anna and her mom for several weeks after that, mostly by phone. After that mother-daughter session, they both began to report improvements in their relationship, and Anna’s behavior at school improved dramatically. A few months after closing Anna’s file, the counselor followed up with the family. Anna’s mom reported that they were still doing well and Anna was doing well at school. She expressed gratitude for the counseling they received through STAR and even requested referrals for other services to continue helping their family. Maria – 16-year-old Maria was referred to Twin City Mission’s Youth and Family Services STAR Program by MHMR for family conflict issues. Contributing factors include severe family conflict and suicidal thoughts, gestures, and attempts. The YFS counselor met with Maria and her family at their home to complete the required paperwork to initiate STAR services. The home was beautiful, and Maria’s room was every child’s dream, designed and decorated just at Maria wanted. Both of her parents were in the home and work hard to provide for their children. They were at a complete loss as to why their Maria wanted to harm herself. Maria described her home as a beautiful prison. Within days of the initial contact, the counselor found herself talking with a police officer, directing him to take Maria to the emergency room. She had taken many pills and was threatening to stab herself with a knife. The counselor met the parents at the E.R., they were angry and bewildered; Maria was angry and disoriented. She didn’t want any of her family members near her and wouldn’t allow them to accompany her into the exam room, but she wanted her counselor with her. After the doctor and MHMR caseworker completed their assessments, they determined Maria needed hospitalization. Tired, upset and visibly shaken, Maria’s parents got the news and a reminder from the YFS counselor that their daughter was safe and getting help. Mom and dad were sent home to get a small bag of clothes while the counselor sat with her until she fell asleep. During their talk, the counselor learned that Maria had a boyfriend that her parents thought was unsuitable, she felt isolated and lonely in her beautiful home, and used her room as an escape from the conflict generated by her feelings for her boyfriend. She said she had hid all the pills she could find and planned to take them all at once. After she fell asleep, the counselor reported the disclosure. Throughout the night the counselor checked on Maria, to make sure she was sleeping and remained safe. The following morning a female jailer showed up to transport Maria to the Austin State Hospital (ASH). The jailer carried a set of shackles, a measure of policy to ensure clients don’t harm themselves or the transport officer. The counselor was able to visit with Maria, explaining the shackles and the transportation process; Maria cried quietly. Maria was placed in the backseat of the transport car, the shackles made it difficult for her to move, what with the long chain running between her waist and feet, wrists and ankles, secured to a waist belt that would clank with her every move. Her parents arrived in time to say good-bye and everyone cried. While she was at ASH, the counselor kept her parents updated with information they needed from the hospital. Upon her release, the counselor resumed services, helping the parents regain a sense of parental control and Maria rebuild her life. For the rest of that summer Maria worked hard, met with her counselor regularly, and began getting excited about returning to school. She also began to notice other young men and said she was tired of all the arguing. Her case was closed right after school began. The counselor’s final entry stated it wasn’t what was showing that was dangerous, it was what was hidden; the hidden problems, the loneliness, isolation, and feelings of low self-worth could have cost her client her life. Crisis intervention helped her see she has a life worth living, parents who love her and whom she loves, traditions are important, and a measure of control over her own life.