Melissa is young teenager of Hispanic descent, who came to Aviva’s Mental Health Services and enrolled in our Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Managing Adaptive Practices (MAP) program in June 2022. Melissa suffered from depression and anxiety due to abandonment issues from her mother, and conflict with her father and sibling in the home. Melissa was very angry at her mother, who suddenly left the family and moved to Mexico as she faced her own mental health issues. Melissa witnessed her mother not taking her medication and having verbal conflicts in the home with other family members. Melissa blamed her father for staying married to her mother and felt the family was much better without her mother. Melissa would often grab her younger brother and lock themselves in the bedroom to avoid contact with their mother. Melissa had also been sexually abused by a family member and that caused more conflict with the family.
During Melissa’s treatment, she was able to process her anger with her family and worked on her anxiety around other people. Melissa learned new skills that helped her boost her mood, while also learning to communicate her feelings with others. Melissa learned emotional insight building skills, the difference between healthy and unhealthy expression of emotions, and identifying and processing depression and trauma symptoms. Family therapy helped build trust and communication with her father, and helped her father support Melissa more effectively. Melissa made great progress with processing her pain around her mother leaving the family, building a better relationship with her father, and forgiving other family members who impacted her directly. The family worked hard together to make her treatment successful, and she graduated from treatment in May 2023.