Dear Parent,

 

I’m a mum of a lovely boy. We are both members of Family Group family. We have finished our therapy a while ago and I want to tell you a few things about it. 

 

Like you, we didn’t believe it will help. I joined Family Group only because I was desperate. I needed help and I was willing to try anything. Family Group changed my life and saved my family.

 

During Family Group meetings we’ve met wonderful people. There was the therapist, a person from school and a few other families with problems very different from our one. We could talk about anything we wanted and nothing would be shared outside the group. We could not talk at all if we didn’t feel like it. We talked about good things. We talked about difficult things trying to help children (and adults!) understand why they are difficult.

 

It did feel good to be in the company of other people who are struggling. They understood what we are going through even though their problems were so much different. For me, as a parent, it was like a support group. During parent time, once children went back to school, we could vent, we could cry, we could lean on each other. We could together look for ideas on how to change things for the better. 

 

For a long time, I thought it is helping only me. Helping me to deal better with my problems. Family Group days became the highlight of my week. But do you know what? I kept seeing other families graduate because they managed to change things for better and it gave me hope. What I failed to see were little things that were changing in my family. It was a slow process in our case, but things were improving more and more over time.

 

About a year and a half after we started our therapist decided we are ready to graduate. Things improved so much; I couldn’t believe it myself. I had a different child and my relationship with my child was better than before. Do you think I was relieved I can leave? No! I was upset we are being thrown out! I could see we don’t need it anymore but I didn’t want to leave! I wanted to meet those people every week! They were my friends, my family! 

 

We did graduate at the end. My son is still in his new and improved behaviour. Believe me, Family Group does miracles!

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I still occasionally go to visit the group when they are finishing the session to have a coffee and a chat with people I miss. I gained friends who I meet outside the group. Most important, my son and I are happy.

 

Family Group is about change and it changed our life.

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Best wishes,

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A Family Group Graduate