Hopeless

I have a client who is 16 years old. She had been sexually abused by her father for years. She came into counseling with a bad attitude. Her mom was making her come. She had been through five therapists and no one was able to help her through her traumas and so she really thought therapy was a waste of time. She had dropped out of school, would sleep all day, had no desire or motivation to change. She was depressed.

Our second session I had her do a sand tray. I gave her some time to herself to explore the sand tray room and get into the process. I felt she was very smart and needed some private self exploration. When I came back she had created a master piece. She was so excited to tell me about her creation that within minutes she had opened up and was letting me in. We processed her scene and her feelings and she was excited to come back to therapy. She was now filled with hope.

The third session she came back, her affect was now bright, she was happy and excited to start talking. She said that all the therapists who she had been to were older and that they always asked her how things made her feel and she felt they couldn't relate. She then said for the first time in years i felt hope, hope that finally someone understands me. She reported that she applied and got a scholarship to go to a private school so she can graduate from high school on time. She had set some new goals for herself and she has a desire to speak and tell her story to other youth to let them know they are not alone. This was a huge change from where she was at when she first came in and where she had been for the past 6 years. It taught me that the best way to instill hope is to be with the client, show them you care and try to relate with them on their level. I use different techniques when I work with teenagers because they are usually resistant to treatment when they feel they are being forced to go. She still has some trauma work to be done but a few more sessions and she will be back to a good level of functioning without her past traumas haunting her and keeping her down.