Regina’s Story

A victim of child physical abuse

Regina inherited three things from her mother — her eyebrows, a budding dimple, and getting senselessly beaten by her single parent. She is anxious and depressed. At 13, she has joined her first pre-gang for its drinking and fighting — causing even more tension in the home. Her mother is unaware of how her own behavior has influenced Ginny’s emotional and behavioral problems. Child Protective Services recommended the family work with PARTNERS.

PARTNERS went well beyond traditional therapy — learning how to better handle anxiety and anger — to rebuild Ginny’s relationship with her mother. Each wrote a letter: the mother acknowledging her role in the conflict, apologizing for it, and offering a plan to stop the abuse. Ginny wrote a narrative about her trauma and the feelings surrounding it. PARTNERS then brought the two together to read the letters, each allowed into the other’s world through honesty and vulnerability.

Today, Regina’s mother understands her anger and abuse potential, with communication between the two far more open than before. Ginny can look forward to having a daughter herself — with that dimple, not the danger.