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Vanessa's Story
When Vanessa moved to the United States with her husband and three-year-old son, she had no idea how difficult and stressful the transition would be on her mentally. Vanessa spoke only Spanish and did not know how to read or write. She felt isolated and became severely depressed. The relationship with her husband was strained and she stopped engaging in activities with her son or taking him to preschool. At the time, she was enrolled in a Children’s Bureau parent education class. The staff noticed a change in her behavior and referred her to one of our in-home counseling programs. When the mental health social worker assessed Vanessa’s condition, she realized that this high-risk mother was experiencing active auditory and visual hallucinations that were impacting her daily routine. The social worker also discovered that Vanessa had suffered prior sexual and physical abuse.
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Vanessa was very skeptical about receiving psychiatric care so it was a challenge for the social worker to help her understand the benefits for both herself and her family. Eventually Vanessa agreed to see a psychiatrist and began taking medication. The social worker also worked with Vanessa on her past issues of abuse, which ultimately helped to reduce her depression and rebuild her self-esteem and confidence. Slowly, Vanessa started to participate in her son’s school activities and she began talking with the other mothers at the preschool. Furthermore, the social worker helped Vanessa with her numbers and letters so that she was able to recognize her telephone number and write her name. Several agencies collaborated with Children’s Bureau to help this fragile mother with intensive services that vastly improved her well being and eventually she was referred to receive long-term care through other resources. Children’s Bureau applauds Vanessa’s continued work to improve herself and her parenting skills.
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