Klahre House Stories
These stories are real. The names and histories of the youth described have been altered enough to protect their anonymity."Explosive…Unreasonable…Uncontrollable…"
by David DyeThese were the words being used to describe George by the time he was eight years old, unfortunately, for good reasons. A product of a chaotic home environment in which he experienced severe neglect from a mentally unstable mother, by age eight George had been involved in burglary, theft, a bomb threat, assault and numerous death threats against other children. George, it seemed, was the worst kind of tragedy waiting to happen.
George was treated in a number of facilities between age eight and thirteen, but none seemed very effective. He was finally placed in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority. He was referred to the Klahre House at age 14, but we knew he was too high risk for our program and community. His probation officer kept in touch with us about his progress as George was treated in secure programs. His behavior began to stabilize, so we reconsidered him. After interviewing George, we decided to accept him although we were dubious about his chances for success.
George was bright and challenging, and oh, what a challenge he was! Oppositional, angry, he seemed determined to burn every bridge, even before it was built. His behavior often had him on the verge of being discharged during his first months here. But our team of foster parents, teachers and case managers remained committed, for there seemed to be a part of George that wanted something different for himself. He began to connect with the other youth here, then with the staff, and finally with the values of the program. He learned social skills that enabled him to have satisfying relationships, probably for the very first time in his life. Once he had these relationships, he was motivated to keep them. He threw himself wholeheartedly into learning the skills taught in his Aggression Replacement Training classes.
Over time, and against the odds, George became a positive leader in our program, and took daily pride in how many days he’d gone without losing his temper. He made friends and learned to communicate with respect toward others. He began to have successful visits home with his family, where positive change was occurring as well.
In October of 2007, George left Klahre House as a success. He went home and enrolled in high school, where he continued to grow and thrive.
George is a young adult now, but he still calls us to check-in, because that’s what you do when you have people you care about and who care about you.
Serious Charges and Serious Changes
by Leah CainWide eyed and silent, Belinda came to the Klahre House accused of serious crimes. She had never been in trouble with the juvenile department prior to this charge, but she came from a chaotic home, and had experienced neglect and abuse leading to time in foster care as a young child. Members of her family struggled with mental health problems. She was fearful of the outside world.
At Klahre House, Belinda was eager to participate in treatment activities and expressed a desire to change her life. One of her major obstacles was a lack of communication. She never told anyone how she was feeling, but she knew that needed to change. After building up trust with the staff, she slowly began to open up and let people in. She participated in Aggression Replacement Training and Thinking for a Change; she took classes in social skills and Peer Mediation. In time, she became a valued member of the Leadership Team. She willingly practiced the skills that were taught to her and although she was sometimes hesitant to believe in change, she was willing to try. Belinda was soon able to attend the local high school, although it was difficult.
One major part of Belinda’s story was a lack of connectedness with her family. When she started the program, she did not want contact with her mother, and had never met her biological father. Over time, as she was able to build trust with staff here, she became open to the idea of communicating with her mother. In addition, through our Family Finding program, we located her biological father and Belinda contacted him. This proved to be a very meaningful experience for her. She saw that adults who cared about her were working hard on her behalf and giving her the opportunity to explore a missing piece of her life. She was able to renew her connection with her mother and start a new connection with her father.
Belinda successfully left the program after 15 months. She now lives with her mother, attends regular high school, sees a counselor and asks for help when she needs it. We are grateful that she sometimes calls to check in with us.