Mia, aged 16, was living with her mother and younger siblings. Initially, Mia had a close relationship with her mother, but things changed when her mother entered a relationship with a male partner. As the relationship became more serious and he moved into the family home, Mia’s behavior started to change. She no longer felt the same closeness to her mother, and their relationship began to suffer.
Mia started staying out late with friends, sometimes not returning home at all, which resulted in her being reported missing on multiple occasions. She also began using drugs and alcohol more frequently. Feeling unable to keep Mia safe, her mother asked for help, and family mediation was offered as a way to address the fractured relationship.
During the mediation sessions, Mia expressed her feelings about her mother always taking her partner’s side. Mia disclosed that she felt uncomfortable around him and had tried to tell her mother about it, but her mother refused to believe there was a problem and dismissed Mia’s concerns as her being difficult. Neither Mia nor her mother took responsibility for the breakdown of their relationship.
It was agreed that Mia would move into Askins Lodge while mediation continued, with the hope of rebuilding their relationship. However, shortly after Mia moved out of the family home, her mother decided that mediation was not helpful and stepped back from any family support.
Mia struggled to cope with the separation, and her angry outbursts towards staff became frequent. She talked about feeling out of control and almost blacking out when her emotions became overwhelming. Mia agreed to engage in counselling with Key’s counselling service, which proved to be a turning point for her. It helped her deal with her emotions and understand why she felt the way she did.
In addition to counselling, Mia found solace in art therapy sessions. She enjoyed creating art and was proud to have her work displayed. Her relationship with her mother remained sporadic, as her mother often let her down by making promises to meet up that she would not fulfill. However, Mia learned techniques to better cope with overwhelming feelings.
After eight months of living at Askins Lodge, Mia had grown in confidence and independence. She no longer required the same level of support offered there and moved to Flavia House, where she continues to thrive and grow.
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*Please note that names may have been changed and stock photography used to preserve the anonymity of this young person
Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash