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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(ARA) - Erin was spiraling out of control. She fought with her parents constantly. She was failing in school, drinking, smoking and running away. Things got so bad that now she was standing in front of a judge who was about to put her in a juvenile lockdown facility for the third time.
“At that time, all I could think about was running away,” says Erin. “My roommate at the lockdown facility and I were planning ways to get away. There were bars on the windows, sensors in the ceiling and locked doors. We didn’t care. We just wanted to run away.”
Erin and her family had been going through some serious challenges. Joyce, her mom, had been diagnosed with a herniated brain stem. Erin and her dad were fighting constantly and Erin herself had been given diagnoses ranging from bipolar disorder to borderline personality disorder. “I was acting out because I didn’t have any coping skills,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do with my feelings.”
Less than a year later, Erin is a completely different girl. She has the second highest grade point average in her school, volunteers with disabled adults, participates in extracurricular activities and is a leader among her peers. “Actually, I’m beyond leader stage now,” says Erin. “I have stepped down and tried to teach other girls to be leaders so that when I’m gone from this school, my knowledge will be passed on.”
How did Erin go from being in trouble with the law to being a leader among her peers? It happened when her mom, who worked tirelessly for years to get the right help for her daughter, learned about Montcalm School for Girls, a strength-based residential treatment program for girls ages 12 to 18.
“I actually was looking on the Internet for a residential program that could give Erin the comprehensive help she needed,” Joyce says. “My daughter had been in a lot of trouble, but as her mom, I knew what a great girl she was deep down inside. I needed her to be in a place that saw the potential I saw. Montcalm School for Girls strength-based program was it. My only regret was that I didn’t find this place for Erin sooner.”
Montcalm School for Girls is part of Starr Commonwealth, a children’s organization which has been a leader in strength-based treatment for children for more than 90 years. The school, which has programs for girls and boys (located in Ohio and Michigan respectively), uses the positive peer culture developed at Starr Commonwealth to help children ages turn their lives around by building on their abilities and turning crises into opportunities.
“That’s really what strength-based treatment is all about,” says Hugh Kocab, director of Montcalm School for Girls. “In Erin’s case, she was labeled as oppositional. The same aspects of her personality that people saw as oppositional, we saw as qualities of leadership. People who are oppositional don’t always like to have others tell them what to do. So, we put her in positions where she planned activities, helped peers in her group, and organized special activities. With that strength-based approach, she flourished.”
“I can’t say enough about the school,” says Joyce. “The teachers and residential staff really care about the kids. I can visit Erin whenever I want and I can walk into any of the classrooms or cottages and feel welcome here. I feel like family when I visit and if I need to talk with someone about Erin, they’re always ready to help.”
Erin, who is looking forward to graduation in the near future, says despite the fact that she didn’t want to change her life around at first, she’s glad she came to Montcalm School. “I remember telling Mr. Kocab that I hated him and everyone at the school and that no one could make me change. Instead of getting mad he treated me with dignity and respect and when I was ready to change, he and everyone else supported me every step of the way. I can’t imagine my life if I had never met the people at Montcalm.”
Looking at Erin today, there’s no trace of the despair, anger and resentment that once filled her. She has a great sense of humor; laughing and smiling and approaching life with the sense of optimism found in any young person. “I’m so proud of Erin,” says her mom. “She’s becoming the girl I always knew she could be.”
Montcalm Schools are not-for-profit, private-referral residential treatment programs built on the proven tenets of Starr Commonwealth, one of the oldest, most respected strength-based child organizations in the country. For more information, visit their Web site at www.montcalmschool.org or call (866) 289-9201 for Montcalm School for Girls or (866) 244-4321 for Montcalm School for Boys.
Founded in 1913, Starr Commonwealth is a nationally and internationally recognized private, non-profit organization. It serves more than 5,000 children, families and professionals annually from locations in Albion, Battle Creek, and Detroit, Michigan, as well as Columbus and Van Wert, Ohio. Services range from foster care to residential treatment and from in-home counseling to programs that help young adults learn to live independently. For more information about Starr Commonwealth, visit www.starr.org. Courtesy of ARA Content
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