Transforming Lives: How Oakland Family Services' Specialized Services for Youth Program Helps Families Overcome Mental Health Challenges

Indispensable. Exceptional. That’s how Kris describes Oakland Family Services and the assistance provided by the Specialized Services for Youth program to her, her husband, Daniel, and her daughter, NJ.

Already proud parents of six (now grown) adopted children, Kris and her husband Daniel adopted NJ when she was 17 years old. Kris and Daniel knew NJ when she was a young child through their church and had provided respite care for her many times. When they learned NJ needed a forever home and she had asked about them providing for her, they knew they wanted her to be part of their family.

NJ, Kris and Daniel were able to reconnect after many years. However, NJ has faced a lot of uncertainty and instability in her life before they reconnected. She was moved in and out of relative care and foster care leaving her feeling unwanted and forgotten. Being admitted to treatment centers and hospitals throughout the years was frightening and having to do it without parental support was difficult for her.

Having to cope with so many unfortunate and emotionally traumatic experiences in her 17 years of life brought forth a lot of challenges the family would soon have to face. Though NJ was excited to be part of a forever family, moving from New York to Michigan and leaving all that was familiar behind left NJ feeling anxious. During this transition, NJ rarely left her room and frequently isolated. “It was like we were living in separate houses under one roof; it was hard emotionally,” Kris recounts. Soon after, it became clear that the family needed more assistance to help overcome her past life experiences to make a happy home for everyone.

During this time, Kris and her husband remembered their experience with the Oakland Family Services’ Foster Care and Adoption program while obtaining their foster care license. They recalled that Oakland Family Services had many programs, including those aimed at improving mental health and trauma. Little did they know their interest in the Specialized Services for Youth program would become a lifechanging experience for the entire family.

Oakland Family Services’ Specialized Services for Youth program is a program for families with a child or teen, ages 6-21, living with severe emotional, behavioral or psychological stress. It provides individual, family and group counseling, case management, in-home services, peer and parent support, respite, and psychiatric services. The program is provided by Oakland Family Services through a contract with the Oakland Community Health Network.

As soon as they heard about the benefits of this program, Kris and Daniel knew they needed to enroll right away. Because of these services, they received individual and family therapy, medication management and Parent Support Partner services. “Now I’m able to understand things and empathize, whereas before I had no clue what to do, to help and communicate with NJ and all the emotions and thoughts she was having,” says Kris.

Individual therapy for NJ has been a critical part of her growth. “NJ’s counselor is Tiffany, and she is awesome. She has been a real godsend to us. She goes above and beyond for NJ. She has been the best thing to come into our life. If we have a question or concern Tiffany replies quickly, no matter the time of day.”

Tiffany recounts her time working with NJ as “inspirational.” Tiffany states, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with NJ and her family and see the progress that has been made and see firsthand how resilient NJ is. She has overcome several obstacles and continues to build on her skill set to grow as a healthy independent adult. She is motivated by her future and the many goals she has for herself, and it has been inspiring to see how hard her and her family have worked to get where they are today.”

With hard work and resilience, NJ has made great strides with every aspect of her life; she has adapted and overcome hardships working through difficult childhood and mental health challenges. Instead of being closed off and depressed, NJ is social and interacts with her friends and family. She smiles more often now.

Thrilled by the progress the family has made, Kris reflects on when it all started: “All the kids were gone, we were empty nesters. Then here we go and bring a 17-year-old into the home. That was a big adjustment. But it was a big adjustment for her, too. She left New York. She left her friends. She left everything that she knew to be with us,” she states. “We were so touched that we made an impact on NJ so many years ago that she remembered us when it came time for her to transition out of a group home.”

Today, the family remains steadfast in addressing mental health issues and continues to support NJ in all areas of her life. Kris and Daniel are overcome with joy watching NJ thrive and have hope for a wonderful future.

Kris passionately stressed the importance of seeking help immediately. “From the first phone call to intake and getting set up with care from the therapists, we felt like we were going to soon become the family we wanted to be.” Kris states that the progress made by NJ was “accelerated” thanks to Oakland Family Services and the Specialized Services for Youth program.