Every Step of the Way: Jaime's Story
Midwest Children's Resource Center provides care and support not only to children but also their families.
What began as allegations unfolded to reveal a young person hurting deeply and without the coping strategies to handle the identity challenges they were grappling with. Fortunately for Jaime* and the adults who care about them, MCRC was there.
Crisis
Abuse allegations against their adoptive father brought Jaime to MCRC for the first time to complete an interview and medical evaluation, resulting in a referral for psychotherapy with an MCRC psychologist. Soon after, an encounter with a member of Jaime’s biological family at school sparked the idea for a plan that would successfully help Jaime run away and remain hidden. For several months, Jaime did not attend school. Even when their whereabouts were known, misunderstandings about parental rights delayed law enforcement intervention.
Meanwhile, MCRC supported Jaime’s adoptive family by connecting them with the health care legal partnership team, assisting them in obtaining restraining orders, and providing resources for support groups and outside agencies that could help unify support for Jaime’s return.
When Jaime was found and reenrolled at MCRC, additional abuse allegations were made against their adoptive mother. While they continued their mental health care at MCRC, Jaime also received medical support while placed in an emergency shelter until a foster placement could be located.
Care
Jaime’s treatment plan was designed to address the acute distress, significant challenges in emotional regulation, and anger they presented. The treatment plan was multipronged, focusing on stabilizing Jaime's life, processing distress while developing emotional regulation skills, and ensuring Jaime's needs were effectively communicated and supported across all settings. Therapy was initiated gradually to build a trusting therapeutic relationship, during which Jaime worked on distress tolerance skills and used long-term goals to inform safer decision-making.
A central theme that emerged during therapy was Jaime's profound loyalty to their biological family and a strong determination to live with their mother. It was observed that any restrictions on contact with the biological family resulted in heightened anger, depression, hopelessness, and recurrent thoughts of running away, making any placement other than with their mother problematic.
Collaboration
Ensuring a comprehensive, collaborative approach from Jaime’s support team, MCRC psychologists collaborated with County Social Workers and Jaime's Guardian Ad Litem to retrieve a detailed IEP history and address needs related to global developmental delay and speech-language issues. With this expanded understanding, MCRC psychologists were able coordinated efforts to prioritize clear communication, adjust psychotherapy sessions for individual needs, and enhance inter-setting collaboration to ensure Jaime's needs were addressed.
After Jaime's stay at the emergency shelter ended without a new placement, leading to discharge to a residential program, MCRC helped Jaime reenroll in services at MCRC.
With the groundwork for collaboration and coordinated support laid out, the treatment approach for Jaime involved continuous collaboration between MCRC psychologists, the county worker, and the GAL to advocate for her needs. This included educating their foster providers, ensuring their safety while supporting family connections, managing the impact of court changes on their foster placement, and securing access to medical services. Recommendations were also made to ensure continuity of care and services as Jaime transitions to adulthood, if they chose.
Healing
In individual therapy, Jaime worked on recognizing personal energy levels and needs, as well as strategies for advocating for breaks and shortening sessions to take care of those needs, enhancing personal safety, processing events of the week, and facilitating Jaime's connection with health care providers.
At the time of writing, Jaime remains with her foster care provider. They report that they like it there. Once they turn 18, they hope to move back to live with her mom. Jaime continues to work with one of our nurse practitioners to address health and wellness concerns. While there is still work to be done, the conversation has shifted from solely managing "a difficult teen with challenging behaviors" to supporting Jaime's broader goals—addressing her educational needs, supporting their safety, and improving access to medical services as they grow into adulthood.
The Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC) is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.
Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is a fundraising and resource 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, MN dedicated to supporting holistic pediatric healthcare services and programs rarely covered by insurance.
*Names and identifying details changed to protect family and patient privacy.
