Michael entered Children’s House at the age of 19 months through a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services due to neglect. He remained at Children’s House until entering public school at age five. Michael went through several changes in his living arrangements, due to deteriorating family situations. He had difficulty adjusting to these changes and would demonstrate oppositional and aggressive behavior, anxiety, and depression. He would use obscene language, hit, push and threaten other children and refused to follow directions in the classroom.

Children’s House developed a customized treatment plan for Michael that stabilized his emotions, decreased his opposition and aggressive behavior and encouraged positive feelings about himself and other people. Once Michael was placed in a stable home environment, Children’s House engaged the family in therapy in an effort to build trust and connect with Michael. Michael made steady progress at home and during his days at Children’s House, showing a balanced range of emotions and improved self-control. He engaged in cooperative play with his peers and most of his negative comments were replaced with age-appropriate statements. Before leaving Children’s House and entering public school, Michael and the family made significant progress toward their treatment goals and Michael was able to begin elementary school with a stable foundation.

Without Children’s House, Michael’s future could have been very different. Michael is currently enrolled in college and plans to dedicate his life to ministry and service to others in the community.

Watch the video about Michael here!