“Autumn” … the third season of the year, it’s often called “Fall.” In tragic fashion, it’s the name given to a lovely young lady who – due to no fault of her own – was pushed into a terrible fall.

You see, Autumn is one of the 600,000 children abused each year by a parent or custodian. Physically and emotionally abused by her stepfather, Autumn was removed from her mother’s custody and sent to live with her father. As a result of both the abuse and the subsequent upheaval in her day-to-day life, Autumn developed serious mental health issues. Thoughts of suicide, cutting herself, drug & alcohol use, promiscuity, eating disorders and behavioral problems rapidly became the norm for Autumn. Autumn was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, substance abuse disorder, and acute anxiety disorder. As a first step in treatment, she received mental health services in her home community followed by several acute psychiatric hospitalizations. 

None of these interventions helped much or for long. Eventually, Autumn’s father and his family turned to Jackson-Feild. Autumn, like most of our children, was skeptical that we could help her but she was willing to try. She participated in Neurotherapy, psychoeducation group therapy, family therapy and more. With each session, she learned to trust her counselors and therapists a little bit more. She quickly and enthusiastically took part in athletics, games, exercise, and art projects. A good student, Autumn excelled in classes at our Gwaltney School and prepared for her high school graduation. Psychotherapy, though, is not a linear process.

Autumn had to remember and talk about the traumatic experiences she was forced to suffer. As you can imagine, that was incredibly difficult and painful for Autumn. She suffered all the setbacks we anticipated, but – to her credit – she redoubled her efforts, continued to trust that her therapists and counselors had her best interests at heart, and made significant growth in each of her treatment goals. Having regained a large part of her mental health after suffering the terrible fall of abuse, Autumn is ready to soar. She is back at home with her father and his family, and hopes to begin college soon while living at home.