Camila, a 13-year-old girl was referred to the Hollenbeck PAL Diversion Program, for an incident that occurred on school grounds. The Diversion program consists of a 10 week Get it Straight (GIS) curriculum that both parent and child are required to participate in, and a ten-week Parenting component that a parent must attend. Additionally, there is case management for the youth for up to six months. The diversion was created for situations involving minors who commit low-grade misdemeanor offenses, in place of a formal arrest.
During this time, Camila was going through a difficult phase as the family was in the midst of a separation. Camila took the separation especially hard as she had a very close bond with her father when they all lived together. She considered herself as “Daddy’s little girl.” Camila was angry and hurt with her father for leaving and starting a new family. She began to act out in school and hung out with schoolmates who negatively influenced her.
While involved with the Diversion Program, Camila’s goal was to learn how to manage her anger towards her father and the separation, rather than allowing herself to be influenced by her friends and engaging in aggressive behavior towards others. Camila was open to working with Hollenbeck PAL’s MSW Intern for therapy to better cope with her feelings towards both issues and was anxious to include her father in the dialogue.
Camila completed the required GIS curriculum of the Hollenbeck Diversion program and her mother completed the Parenting Program component: both received a certificate of completion for their efforts. However, her father did not take part in the educational portion of the program. A graduation ceremony for all the participants who completed the Hollenbeck PAL Diversion Program took place. During the culmination and certificate presentation, Camila took the initiative to speak at the Graduation about her experience. To Camila’s surprise, her father showed up to the event and was beaming with pride. Camila was able to enjoy dinner and the remainder of the evening seated between her mother and her father; her family, as she had once done in the past!
Today, Camila continues to reside with her mother and is doing well at home and is excelling in high school. She visits with her father regularly and has accepted her new role as a “Big sister”. Father reports they get along well and he is happy, not only for himself but most especially for his daughter, Camila.