John's Story: From Fear to Confidence

In the year and a half that I have worked at Community Family Guidance Center (CFGC), I have had the opportunity to work with a number of children and families who have come to our agency for support, guidance, and counsel. I have selected to share an experience with one family in particular, which I found memorable and inspiring.

Soon after I started working at CFGC, I began seeing a fourteen-year-old boy named John. John came to me highly depressed and lacking motivation in many areas of life, including school, extracurricular, and social activities. John’s father had left the family and John was continuing to battle the difficulty of lacking a male role model. In addition, he was consistently bullied in school and reported feeling “different” from his peers. During therapy, John talked about feeling overwhelmed by life and that it was “too hard.” He felt lost and lonely due to lacking a father figure and the guidance and support that he expected a father would offer. John was fearful he would not know how to be a man, husband, or father, and was overwhelmed by such complex fears at such a young age. 

John’s mother sought treatment at CFGC when it became clear to her that John’s troubles were increasing as he entered adolescence. Unfortunately, the issues John faced – being raised by a single parent, lacking a father figure, and being bullied to the point of being afraid to attend school – are all too common. However, helping John to process his feelings of loss and increase his self-confidence had a profoundly positive impact on his functioning, which was very powerful to see. During the course of John’s one-year treatment at the Center, he increased his self-esteem and self-confidence, improved his relationship with his mother, and experienced a significant increase in mood and motivation. As John’s self-esteem and pride increased, he presented himself with greater confidence in a variety of settings, including school, and the bullying that he had been constantly victimized by in school decreased significantly. 
      
Prior to ending treatment with John, I enlisted the assistance of our case management team and connected him to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. John met his Big Brother prior to completing treatment and began to develop a bond with a positive male role model, which also helped increase his self-assurance and optimism. I was truly inspired to witness the transformation that John experienced during his treatment at CFGC. He developed a hopefulness and confidence to face the world and the challenges it presents. In the words of Helen Keller, "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

 
 * The name of the person and their age in this storey have been changed in order to protect client confidentiality