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Channelling the strength within

Becoming a teenager can be difficult for any young boy, but for 13-year-old Jude*, life seemed to pose insurmountable challenges. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when just a toddler, Jude and his family found it difficult to maintain his regular medication and his motivation to continue his education hit rock bottom.

Living with his Mum and his Uncle, Jude had stopped going to school, was playing online games 24/7 and had stopped taking medication. He was experiencing depression, had social anxiety and would have violent outbursts in the home.

Jude’s family was unable to provide the support or encouragement the teen needed to stay on top of his diabetes and keep healthy. His Mum was experiencing her own mental health issues and Jude had been left to mostly care for himself.

Jude and his family had almost reached crisis point when he was referred to MacKillop Family Services’ Functional Family Therapy - Child Welfare (FFT-CW) team in rural NSW. FFT-CW is an evidence-based, intensive program aimed at keeping families together, targeting the causes of harm and trauma, and where appropriate keeping children from entering the child protection system.

Family Therapist Stephen* started working with Jude and went to visit him in the family home.

“For the first few visits, I had to talk to Jude through his closed bedroom door and he wasn’t very communicative as I had to compete with the online games, he was playing to get his attention. Then he was happy for me to stand at the open door and we gradually built up a rapport. Jude began to understand that I was there specifically to help him; that I would be an advocate for him and help him to articulate how he was feeling,”

Believing that Jude would be happier to talk to him away from the family home and that it would help ease him into social interaction, Stephen took Jude out for a milkshake; this was when the teen really started to open up.

“Jude was able to tell me that he was receiving very little support and felt very much on his own. We established that not going to school was his way of trying to connect with his family. This allowed me to have an honest conversation with his Mum about establishing routines, putting in place supports to help Jude remember his medication and setting up healthy eating plans.

The most significant change was the realisation by Jude that he had the ability within himself to take action to protect his own physical and mental health. He knew his teachers also had his best interests at heart and he started to think about returning to school. He told me himself ‘I was never going to go back to school, but now I want to go’.

– Stephen

Before FFT-CW Jude had no significant relationships outside his family, but after working with Stephen, he realised that there was support in the community. Jude started to see a child psychologist and began attending school regularly. Once he started attending school, he reconnected with his friends which further motivated him to continue to attend school. Jude also started going out again to hang out with friends. In the previous year, Jude had had an attendance of only eight per cent, which changed to only missing the occasional day.

There is still a long way for the family to go but working with the FFT-CW program has shown Jude that there is support available and that he is the best advocate for his needs and care. Jude has been empowered to take action for his own future and hopes to inspire other members of his family to seek help for their issues.

*Names changed to protect privacy