At 14, David was experiencing bullying at school. “Kids would pick on me because I was the only one who was different, at least that’s what I thought.” Even the friends he thought he could trust let him down. “I would come home and ask myself, ‘What is wrong with me? Why am I like this?’” David wanted to end his life. Luckily, he told a classmate who alerted the school and David was taken to the Crisis Care Center at The Children’s Center. David’s life was saved, and the journey of healing began.
Nicoyia, David’s mom, shared: “It’s hard to see your child go through something you can’t make better. I’m a nurse, so I can pretty much fix anything physically wrong, but this was different. It made me realize how I can’t control everything.”
David has now been in therapy at The Children’s Center for a year and a half. David says, “I feel more open to people now, I can tell my mom how I am feeling.”
For her part, Nicoyia sees a lot more confidence and a lot less hostility and anger in David. She sees him trying to figure out a resolution instead of giving up. She says, “The Children’s Center is an excellent resource for allowing someone non-biased to help your child, to give him someone to talk to versus having to talk to a parent. Seek help for your kids, you are your children’s advocate, their voice.”
“People think if you go see a therapist then you must be crazy. I feel the exact opposite. Mental health is just as important as physical health and it’s important to see the signs in your children, the cries out for help,” says Nicoyia. “It would have been very stressful. Had I not found David The Children’s Center, I’m not sure he would have made so much progress in this short time.”
