Christian

Christian was referred to TSP based on his marijuana use, skipping classes, skipping school, and legal involvement. He lives with his mother and younger sister. At the time
of assessment, he had 2 charges; the first one was for domestic violence against his mother and the second one was for stealing.

Christian started smoking Cannabis at age 14. He started drinking alcohol at age 16 and drank about 1-3 times per month. He and his mother reported that he has a history of extreme anger and aggression. Upon admission to the program, he continued to display self-destructive behaviors. The intensive outpatient team worked with the family, and over time Christian decided to stop smoking. He was provided with a lot of support as well as coping strategies.

After he achieved abstinence, he reported he was getting along much better with his mother, doing well in school, and feeling better physically and emotionally. His mother reported that he was doing much better as well. He will be turning 18 in a couple of weeks and he is looking forward to graduating from high school. He plans to attend Broward College.

Austin

At the time 17-year-old Austin was assessed, he was having difficulties in all areas of his life. His mother explained that someone had “kidnapped” her son. The Austin she once knew was an avid musician, average student, and athlete. The imposter was a defiant pot-smoking gang banger.

He had been suspended numerous times and was failing all classes. In addition, he was facing charges of burglary. The relationship he had with his mother was full of opposition and disrespect.

Austin’s mother initially resisted participating in family counseling and felt that her son’s behavior was unrelated to anything concerning the family. TSP staff convinced her to attend at least once. The mother enjoyed the benefit of family therapy from the first session to the last. After many weekly visits from the TSP therapy team, one began to see that Austin’s drug use had stopped, academics improved and the opportunity to divert via drug court had been taken.

Justin’s mother once believed her son was “lost for good”. It was rewarding to hear her thank the team many times over for “getting him back”. Austin recently completed drug court. He has been working as a busboy at a local restaurant part-time for several months. His mother’s dedication and willingness to change made the client’s treatment a success story.

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