We won’t dwell on how Courtney grew up. Needless to say, when a teenager finds herself in intensive residential treatment, there has been a lot of trauma and other water under that bridge. But this is a story of hope and change. No one thinks very much about the caterpillar while it is in the cocoon. But that is where the hard transformative work is going on! At times, we all need to have safe places, “cocoons”, where we can heal and grow into the next phase of our life.
Courtney was in residential treatment for 10 months through CYFS. This cocoon gave her a place to be safe and grow through some of the most difficult moments of anyone’s life! When she got out on her own, she discovered how hard it was to successfully make her own way in the world. During this time, a baby came and a relationship floundered. She experienced the pain of not having her baby with her, while she put her life back together. The CYFS Chehalem Parenting Connection supervised her visitation with her child. This “cocoon” helped her keep her mother/son relationship intact, her bonding positive, and her day to day struggles would not hurt him. Our sliding fee scale made this possible. Courtney was encouraged to keep moving forward which led to enrollment in the Youth Opportunity Program (YOOP), another “cocoon”. She kept working on herself by taking the financial literacy course and career exploration activities while steadily studying to get her GED. She is only one subject away now! She successfully finished a 130-hour internship in the office of an Insurance Agent. Her career goal when she enrolled in the YOOP program was to be an Insurance Agent. This Internship provided a hands-on insight into this occupation and an opportunity to practice skills to be a successful member of the workforce. Courtney told us, “CYFS and YOOP have been there for me at each major turning point in my life.” Of course, Courtney’s story is still not over yet. Healing and wholeness are a lifelong process, but we know , and more importantly, she knows, she’s on the right healing road to wholeness! Unlike the caterpillar, humans have the capacity to transform their lives as often as they choose to do so!
A core CYFS belief is that people have the capacity to grow and change. This core value is brought out so beautifully in Courtney’s life. We do not usually get a chance to be part of several of a person’s moments of transformation. This is why Courtney’s story is so special! We have been privileged to be part of her life when she was an angry teenager, a struggling young adult and mother, and finally a young woman who is finding her place in the world! Congratulations to the beautiful butterfly that has emerged!
