At 17, Emmet was placed in Community School after being expelled from his high school for numerous counts of fighting and truancy. Emmet, large for his age, was often verbally aggressive with his classmates and his teachers whenever he felt teased or uncomfortable in group settings. As an only child of divorced parents, Emmet also struggled to connect with his family, making him feel more isolated from those around him. All of these factors caused Emmet to seek attention in negative ways and turn to unhealthy coping skills.

Once Emmet started Community School, he was surprised to find that he felt more comfortable in the smaller sized classes. As part of his Community School contract, Emmet was assigned to meet with a Family Care Network Community School counselor on a weekly basis. At first, Emmet was nervous about having to talk to someone he didn’t know about personal things. But during his first few sessions with his counselor, the counselor spent his time getting to know Emmet, asking about his favorite hobbies and things he liked about school. By taking things slowly, Emmet and his counselor developed a comfortable, trusting relationship, one that made Emmet feel safe.

The more Emmet felt he could trust his counselor, the more he was willing and eager to talk about the more difficult topics in his life, such as his relationship with his parents and why he struggled with anger. In talking through some of these issues, Emmet and his counselor were able to discuss more appropriate ways that Emmet could express himself, including how to employ stop and think techniques when he felt himself becoming upset. They also discussed Emmet’s triggers and ways that Emmet could take space when needed. Emmet’s counselor was also able to meet with Emmet’s parents, helping them to set more appropriate expectations of Emmet, as well as understand how to better support their son in his efforts to make better choices. Feeling supported and with more appropriate coping skills, Emmet started to grow more comfortable in social settings. He also started to see how his improved behaviors not only made it easier for him to focus at school, but he was also able to make some new friends

With dramatically reduced incidents at school, Emmet was able to become a much better student and friend. And since feeling more in control of himself and his emotions, Emmet no longer felt the need to escape his circumstances or act out with his peers and teachers. In enjoying closer relationships with those around him, Emmet is no longer an outsider looking in—instead, Emmet feels grounded, motivated and ready for his future.

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*names and photos of clients are ficticious to protect their identity