Max* felt abandoned by his Dad.
Now, with counselling and support Max feels loved and secure in his family.
Eight-year-old Max adored his dad and followed him wherever he went. Unfortunately, this exposed Max to his dad’s drug habits and violent criminal activities. His dad never seemed to notice that Max was around.
When Max was removed from his dad’s care to live with his Aunt Denise* and Uncle Felix,* he was heartbroken. But his dad made a promise to visit him. This was enough to lift Max’s spirit. For months Max waited. Dad never came. He never even called.
Max became withdrawn and uncommunicative. Concerned at this change in him, his aunt and uncle sought help from Family Works.
And that is where your generous support as a Family Works Angel has helped.
Paul*, one of our counsellors, stepped in to try and help Max make sense of his world. He gave Max paper, crayons and paints to express himself with. The colours red, black, orange became words for Max. His drawings revealed his confusion and grief.
Paul worked with Max to help him through his feelings of abandonment, teaching him new coping strategies to make him more resilient. Max’s art changed as he began to focus on his new home and how he felt about living with his cousins.
His aunt and uncle were also given support. Through counselling and coaching, they learned about the effects of trauma and adopted new approaches that will help Max transition to a more stable and loving home.
They encouraged Max to choose new decor for the room he shares with his cousin. He picked out a favourite character for his bed linen and reserved a place on the wall for his art. For the first time, Max feels secure about his place in his new family.
A positive change has come over Max. He’s transformed into a cheerful, confident boy keen to play with his cousins and join in at school.
*Names changed and representative photos used to protect identities.
