Young Witness of DV 2

KidzPace

I will call the young person in this case study Amy for anonymity  and mum is called Jen.

Amy was introduced to Kidzpace through her mother Jen, who had been receiving support from the Splitz Paloma support team. Jen now felt that she  needed to seek help for her daughter Amy.

Amy had begun self harming and this was causing Jen great concern in addition Amybegun to isolate herself and there was a lot of guilt and confusion as to who was to blame for the separation of her parents  as the perpetrator (Dad) still had a great deal of control over the way that Jen and Amy led their lives.  There were certain issues such as talking to splitz that Jen and Amy dare not mention as to fear the perpetrator may not approve.  Amy and Jen found it hard to communicate with each other without it becoming negative or ending up in an argument.

My first meeting with Amy was a bit of a stand on her part as Amy. insisted that she did not want to get involved with “no counselors.”  I explained to Amy. that I was not a counselor . But I could help support h to reduce feelings of guilt and help encourage her to regain her confidence by encouraging positive communication between Amy and her mum.

Amy was still a bit cautious? I asked Amy if she would like to attend a workshop on sat mornings. Amy was still uninterested, so I tried to encouraged her to come and observe one of the sessions to give her an idea  of what the sessions were about. She agreed to attend one session.

I knew that the group sessions would help her understand the emotions she was experiencing and help to channel the anger that she directed at mum and the rest of the world.

After observing one session Amy decided that she would like to join the group sessions and attended on a regular basis. During the group sessions Amy joined a theater group in her area. She commented that “attending the group gave her the confidence to start drama.” Amy confidence grew as each week passed and became a valuable member of our group and took on the role of encouraging other young people within the group. I was able to see an improved communication between Jen and Amy.

Amy also landed herself a lead role in one of the plays with the theatre company she is now part of. She invited me to the showing but unfortunately I was not able to attend due to adverse weather conditions.

Amy continued to show great progress and enthusiasm and when we raised funds of a £1000 for a film project of our own from media challenge. She immediately offered to take the leading role. The drama was based on two siblings living with domestic abuse and the effect it had on their daily lives.