Ms. Hart
. . . right away I felt like an equal partner and team member to the CV staff.
When the pandemic began, I got very ill and was worried that I might not be able to take care of my two teenagers, Zoco and Jacari. We were already having a difficult time as a family. The boys had a lot of resistance to my parenting, and because of my illness I lost a lot of strength and confidence in myself.
Zoco, my eldest, was hurting. He had just come out as gay before the pandemic, and our communication was nonexistent. We fully accepted him, but he was shutting down and had a lot of hostility. Often times when I tried to talk to him he would yell “leave me alone” or bang on the walls, and we couldn’t have productive conversations. We needed help to change things quickly.
My local Police Athletic League referred me to the Multisystemic Therapy Program at The Children’s Village, where we could get services in our home, and right away I felt like an equal partner and team member to the CV staff. They made me feel comfortable and helped with some communication tools I could use to improve our family dynamic. Zoco was resistant at first, but once he got to know our social worker Ms. Ashley, he really started to open up and change.
I was raised in a different time. There was no questioning of parents, it was simply “do what you’re told”. Kids today need different things, and I knew that I needed some new parenting skills to become Ms. Hart 2.0! I think that when my boys saw me willing to learn and grow, they embraced it too. And now my voice is being heard and respected. Ms. Ashley broke that barrier to reconnect us. Her and the CV team will always be there for me, I feel like I made an additional family member!
Ms. Hart partnered with CV’s Multisystemic Therapy (MST) team to get the services her family needed in their own home. MST helps families gain the skills they need to stay together, prevent separation, and thrive.