When Mark got the call from his son’s school telling him that Stephen had been expelled, he felt a deep sense of shame in not being a better father to his thirteen-year-old.  He had done little, as he watched Stephen change into a negative, angry, and defiant kid, who cut classes and hung around with an older set of friends who encouraged his bad behavior.

The call forced Mark to admit that Stephen’s problems were directly related to what was going on at home.  He and his wife had fought almost daily for months, about anything and everything, while ignoring Stephen who needed encouragement at such a critical age.

Mark and his wife quickly sought help from Family & Children Services, enrolling in couples counseling for themselves, and individual therapy for Stephen.  Over the next six months, Mark and his wife grew to understand the impact their fighting had on their son, and they learned ways to deal with their differences in a non-violent way.

In time, Stephen’s defiant behavior at school disappeared entirely. A once fractured family received the help they needed to restore an emotionally healthy home.