When Family Centered Treatment specialist Shamekia Wright first met with the Taylor* family they were in crisis. The family of 7 had recently moved from out of state with hopes of a new job and temporarily staying with extended family, but those plans quickly fell apart. When Shamekia met with the Taylors for the first time, they were staying at a local homeless shelter in a surrounding county.
Family Centered Treatment is an evidence based, intensive in-home treatment that was developed by practitioners for children, adolescents, and their families in crisis. This treatment program was adopted by The Parenting PATH in August of 2023 and is currently being served in 7 counties by the agency.
From the onset of the case, Shamekia could assess there were many points of dysfunction within the Taylor family: Dad was timid, lacked confidence both in himself and his role in the family. Also, he had not held a steady job for a long time. Mom was struggling with some physical disabilities while navigating the many transitions and changes for the kids. Teenage daughter was being forced into a 3rd parent role and struggling to be heard in the family dynamics. Preteen son was having behavior issues both in school and at home and had been the victim of abuse from an extended family member. Plus, with the three younger children the escalating tension created a family dynamic of stress, episodic anger, and misunderstandings.
Guiding the family through the FCT model, Shamekia met with the family either individually or as a group over the course of 7 months. The goals were to help guide them through the stress of their trauma and help steady their family trajectory away from crisis-mode. It was clear they also needed to improve their family communication and functioning.
While there were ups and downs through the 7 months, there were also vast improvements. Dad, who wouldn’t even fill in the required forms initially and only referred to his wife for decisions, was making great strides. He had learned patience, how to model his behaviors in times of stress for his children, and even leading the family meetings. Mom was learning how to have the difficult conversations with her husband and children and to also listen with empathy to their concerns. Teenage daughter was finding her voice and getting the space to focus on herself. Preteen son was making strides in his behavior especially reducing the outbursts. Even the younger children were feeling heard during the family meetings and were enjoying family activities together.
The Taylor family still has some big changes ahead including finding stable housing but they are a success story according to Shamekia. “They’ve had so much growth! They learned how to communicate and listen to each other. They aren’t in crisis anymore.”
*Names changed for anonymity
