PorcupineWhisperer
New Member
For those who have followed this thread (despite my great gaps in between postings) you should remember the cast of characters and the dilemmas of a mom and her pre-sociopathic son and the decisions that were being faced. Short recap for new viewers...er...readers: 'Junior' was placed in an emergency shelter after being released prematurely from an Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Junior had threatened to kill mom and sister in the past and was placed in state custody by mom in an effort to get him intensive mental health care.
We will now resume our story already in progress....
After 90 days in the emergency shelter, all involved were once again faced with a dilemma of where does Junior go from there. The shelter had refused to extend his time due to some ..um... incidents that took place while he was there. A Short list of behaviors included stealing, lying an occasional tantrum or two and also being targeted by other residents. Junior was initially placed in the shelter while the state searched for a foster home for him. But after 90 days no foster home could be found (basically due to his age and his behaviors). So...., here we were again. The choices were now to either send him home or start to look for a foster home that might be a significant distance from his family and his therapist (me).
After much discussion, the question came down to what I thought was the best choice ( this way the state would be able to say, "Well, the therapist said it would be a good idea...."). After some discussion with mom (and making sure my liability insurance was up to date) , I wrote a letter stating that I felt that it would be OK for Junior to return home - with a safety plan in place of course.
It's been a little over a month, but Junior has really done well. Initially Junior had to be reminded that he really had not 'earned ' his way home and that this was a chance for him to show he could do it. The state will stay involved for six months and the caseworker visits every week. There have been a couple of rough spots including one at school involving a tantrum, the school security officer and handcuffs. Not pretty, but I have to say that the school was very open to my meeting with them the next day and developing a crisis plan which has proved to be very effective. Short of that, things have been really good. He just completed the eighth grade and is looking forward to high school, he has a 'girlfriend ' and mom is dealing with more typical teen issues rather than mental health stuff. Life is good.
Almost.
Around the time of the police incident at school, the doctors found several spots on mom's lungs which they are pretty sure are cancer. Additionally, There is also some cardiovascular stuff that is going on as well. Truthfully, it doesn't look good. Junior is now very worried about losing his mom - the ultimate fear for a kid with severe attachment issues. Mom is stressed by the medical stuff, but also is really concerned about what will happen to Junior if something happens to her. Junior's sister is almost 16, smart and independent - she obviously would be devastated by the loss of her mom, but she could manage and probably live with other family members until she finished high school. But what of Junior?
Stay tuned....
We will now resume our story already in progress....
After 90 days in the emergency shelter, all involved were once again faced with a dilemma of where does Junior go from there. The shelter had refused to extend his time due to some ..um... incidents that took place while he was there. A Short list of behaviors included stealing, lying an occasional tantrum or two and also being targeted by other residents. Junior was initially placed in the shelter while the state searched for a foster home for him. But after 90 days no foster home could be found (basically due to his age and his behaviors). So...., here we were again. The choices were now to either send him home or start to look for a foster home that might be a significant distance from his family and his therapist (me).
After much discussion, the question came down to what I thought was the best choice ( this way the state would be able to say, "Well, the therapist said it would be a good idea...."). After some discussion with mom (and making sure my liability insurance was up to date) , I wrote a letter stating that I felt that it would be OK for Junior to return home - with a safety plan in place of course.
It's been a little over a month, but Junior has really done well. Initially Junior had to be reminded that he really had not 'earned ' his way home and that this was a chance for him to show he could do it. The state will stay involved for six months and the caseworker visits every week. There have been a couple of rough spots including one at school involving a tantrum, the school security officer and handcuffs. Not pretty, but I have to say that the school was very open to my meeting with them the next day and developing a crisis plan which has proved to be very effective. Short of that, things have been really good. He just completed the eighth grade and is looking forward to high school, he has a 'girlfriend ' and mom is dealing with more typical teen issues rather than mental health stuff. Life is good.
Almost.
Around the time of the police incident at school, the doctors found several spots on mom's lungs which they are pretty sure are cancer. Additionally, There is also some cardiovascular stuff that is going on as well. Truthfully, it doesn't look good. Junior is now very worried about losing his mom - the ultimate fear for a kid with severe attachment issues. Mom is stressed by the medical stuff, but also is really concerned about what will happen to Junior if something happens to her. Junior's sister is almost 16, smart and independent - she obviously would be devastated by the loss of her mom, but she could manage and probably live with other family members until she finished high school. But what of Junior?
Stay tuned....