Zara's Story
They needed support, not another assessment
“I was working with a mum whose kids had come back home after six years in care. They’d been living with a family member. The return wasn’t easy. The children were deeply traumatised. Sometimes when they were upset, they would put holes in the walls.
Mum had a lot going on. Her children were finally home. She was pregnant with her third child. She had no family nearby. No support network. It was just her. My role was to support her with therapeutic parenting skills, but when I showed up for our session, she was completely overwhelmed. There was a housing inspection coming up. She knew they’d kick her out if they saw the damage. Essentially, she was 72 hours away from being homeless.
So I dropped the plan. Went to Bunnings. Got plaster, putty knives, paint. We spent the day patching up holes together.
In this moment she didn’t need therapeutic parenting skills. Not when her basic needs were at risk. She needed someone to see her and help her.
Because how can you expect parents to apply therapeutic parenting skills when essentially their house is burning down?”
- Zara’s story, a clinician with almost 20 years experience (name changed to protect privacy).