A Once-Lost Girl Finds Hope

Marie used to describe herself as a “walking zombie.”

Suffering from severe depression, she had few friends and it was a constant battle for her parents to get her to go to school or to do anything. No matter where she was, Marie was usually sad and withdrawn.

When school became unbearable, she began classes in a home school program. Her schoolwork was fine, but she became even more isolated and distant from people her own age and family members. Things got so bad that she couldn’t even pick out clothes to wear for the day. 

Marie often cut herself with razor blades, hoping the physical pain would give her some relief from the hurt she felt inside. Constantly bouncing from feeling empty inside to being consumed by stress and anxiety, she didn’t see any way things would ever change. Suicide began to creep into her thoughts.

Fortunately, Boys Town South Florida entered the picture. Through its Care Coordination Services, trained and experienced Consultants arranged for Marie to begin intensive psychiatric therapy with doctors in her community. Her parents also entered a family therapy program.

While Marie was in therapy, Shannon, a Boys Town Family Consultant worked with the teen on her goals. Shannon had seen many young people like Marie. She understood what the girl was going through and how much she was hurting.

Gradually, Shannon and Marie began to work together through the fears and depression that had once gripped the teen like a vice. The medications prescribed by her psychiatrist helped Marie to see and think more clearly. She and her parents began to have hope.

With Shannon’s encouragement, Marie discovered that she could use her love of music to express the emotions pent up inside her. She realized she could draw strength and support from her parents and others around her. She earned straight A’s in her home school classes and took extra coursework via computer. When she graduates from high school, she plans to attend college and pursue her music studies.

Through careful, slow, baby steps, Marie has emerged from the shell that held her for so many years. She has a bright future ahead of her and can now look toward that future with hope and purpose.
 
Boys Town South Florida’s Care Coordination Services provide a lifeline to children suffering from mental health issues by ensuring they receive the right care at the right time. In this intensive, family-centered program, Boys Town Consultants help parents and caregivers access, navigate and monitor the services their children need.  Boys Town South Florida has been providing these services in Palm Beach County since 1998, matching youth with mental or emotional health issues with the most effective care available to bring children out of the dark and into the light. 

“We have a long history with Boys Town and think their work is outstanding,” said Tana Ebbole, Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Services Council (CSC) of Palm Beach County. CSC funds Boys Town South Florida’s Care Coordination program, and has worked the site since 1991.

Ebbole said Boys Town South Florida’s staff members are well trained and that the site operates with a clear program model and design. Boys Town’s partnership with local and regional agencies has produced significant results; for example, Palm Beach County has the second lowest rate of child abuse and neglect of all of Florida’s urban counties.

“One of the things we’ve always appreciated about Boys Town is having rigorous data and evaluation to demonstrate that the program is doing what it’s supposed to do,” Ebbole said. “I think that’s a very unique situation.”