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Catholic Charities’ Multisystemic Therapy (MST) changed the lives of a Cattaraugus County teenager whose rebellious attitude got so severe he turned to drugs, and a mother who learned how to communicate with her son better.
Jim* was 15 when he began using drugs. Prior to working with Catholic Charities’ MST program, he was high-strung, angry and refused to go to school. His mother felt like she had lost him completely, until the Catholic Charities counselor stepped in.
“He didn’t go to school, he was always angry, screaming, fighting, and hollering,” said Jim’s mother. “I thought I was going to crazy until you walked in.”
The counselor got Jim involved with the sports he used to enjoy and Jim found a new passion – theater. He and his mother are now living in a more harmonious place – they look to the future and what’s to come, as opposed to focusing on the past – and both believe that this is just the beginning of their success.
“We learned how to communicate better with one another,” said his mother. “The major thing that changed our lives is that we look to the future. I mean, we don’t think about the past so much, we look to the future. That allows us to keep going and get better.”
The MST program helped rebuild the trust between a mother and son, and brought them closer together. Jim now does laundry, makes dinner, gets the groceries – and brings back the correct change.
“I remind myself where he was when we started and look where we’re at now,” she said. “He makes curfew every night. There are days when he comes from school and stays with me. I’m really happy about that. He used to stay out all night and I would worry – now he doesn’t do that anymore – we have more harmony.”
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