Real Families. Real Changes

Real Families, Real Changes: 5 Things We Learned when Talking with a Parent of One of Our Nine-Year-Old Clients Who Struggled with Behavioural Challenges

Improving the lives of families in our communities is one of the most fundamental goals of the Strongest Families Institute. Our evidence-based, bilingual mental health services are for children, youth, adults, and their families, when and where they need them. Our scientifically proven distance services help our clients to improve their mental health and well-being by equipping them with valuable skills to use in everyday life.

Don’t just take our word for it though. We know it helps to hear real stories from real families about their experience with our services when deciding if our services are right for you or your loved ones. That’s why we were so excited to speak to the mother of one of our young clients, a nine-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with ODD, ADD, ADHD, and Tourette’s Syndrome who has experienced plenty of success since starting SFI’s Parents Empowering Kids program.

Read on to hear about this family’s ongoing success. In speaking with this parent, we wanted to share how the Strongest Families Parents Empowering Kids’ program positively impacted their family.

Behavioural Outbursts are More Manageable

 “[My son’s] outbursts are shorter, they’re 10-30 minutes vs. 3 hours, fewer and further between. They used to be about 1-5 times per day, now he is having them once per week. This is mainly because of “noticing the good.” We often do this in our job or with others but not at home, so [we’re] making a conscious effort to notice the good efforts – positive reinforcement.”

Parents Feel Less Overwhelmed

This Mom told us she was feeling very overwhelmed with the daily life of running a home and working. She has also been working on harnessing some of her feelings to help her feel less overwhelmed. Since starting with Strongest Families, she’s noticed a change in her anxiety and how she interacts with the children. She raises her voice less and reports that she feels like a different person.  She is more positive and stays calm when her son is upset, finding that now she asks herself why her son may be upset vs. reacting to the outbursts.

The Programming Fits Seamlessly into a Family’s Busy Life

When asked how the programming fits into their family’s busy schedule, this Mom said, “This is wonderful!” She told us that it’s so great to have a time that works for their family to fit into their lives and to be able to have the calls when she can choose privacy. She told us she is grateful for the one-to-one opportunity to address the specific needs of her family and that customized care is key to helping with her son’s particular needs.

Relationship Dynamics Within the Family Are Improving

We were so happy to hear this Mom self-report that she is “so much calmer.” She tells us she is not reactive anymore and she now thinks through scenarios. She’s also noticed more confidence in the kids by “noticing the good.” She told us that since her son was diagnosed and since starting the program, she and Dad are much closer and are working together to help their son. She told us that before starting the program with Strongest Families, she could not imagine that anything would help – she could not imagine that they would be where they are today. She reports that “there is about an 80% improvement” and life feels great.

The Changes in her Family Can be Described Easily in Just a Few Words

We asked her to sum up the biggest changes she’s seen in her home since beginning work with Strongest Families. This happy Mom said that in her family, there’s “more positivity, less anger and fighting, and just all around, more nice.”

Learn More

If you’re curious about how Strongest Families Institute’s evidence-based programs can make a positive impact on your family, click here to read more and learn how you, or your family, can make positive changes that impact daily well-being.