Marsha

Living with her mother, stepfather, and much-loved maternal grandmother, Marsha was devastated when her grandmother passed away. Unable to deal properly with her grief, Marsha embarked on a long trail of dysfunctional and inappropriate behaviors that included verbal and physical aggression, substance abuse, promiscuity, stealing, poor impulse control, running away, truancy, school suspensions and abysmal academic performance. When her mother reached the end of her rope, Marsha was sent to live with her father and paternal grandmother where things only grew worse. 

  Marsha first came before the criminal justice system at the age of thirteen when she stole items at school. She returned multiple times on a variety of charges including assault, truancy, petit larceny, and multiple violations of probation charges, some of which led to several incarcerations in juvenile detention. Marsha participated with a community-based mentoring service and entered a court-ordered substance abuse program due to her marijuana use.

When Marsha arrived at Jackson-Feild (JFBHS), she was angry and defiant. She found it difficult to adjust to our residential treatment services, engaged in incidents of verbal and physical aggression, and tried to run away. In time, she found that the campus activities, cottage group therapy, and school were actually interesting and helpful. She even began to take her medications as prescribed and actively participate in her treatment plan.

Marsha learned how to recognize the things that made her angry and frustrated. She gained insight into herself and acquired the knowledge necessary to establish and achieve personal goals. She developed meaningful relationships with her cottage peers and the JFBHS staff. The angry and defiant Marsha was transforming into a kind and courteous young woman.

Motivated to complete her high school education, Marsha earned her GED while at JFBHS.