Wediko School -- Struggling with Anger

Tony is a 14 year old boy who struggles with persistent depression and anger.  He often becomes tearful and, at times, full of rage.  This inhibits his ability to be successful, in that his aggression can make those around him fearful and damage his relationships.  Sadness puts him in a stagnant state that makes it difficult for him to complete day to day tasks.  

Tony also has many strengths.  He is funny, artistic, creative, loving, and motivated to do well in treatment.  He is well liked among his peers and goes out of his way to engage adults in conversation.  

At Wediko, the structure has helped Tony let others see his strengths.  He has developed relationships with adults and  he feels safe to talk about his daily struggles.  He receives individual, family and group therapy.  It wasn’t always easy, initially, Tony was verbally aggressive with his individual therapist, but through collaborative staff efforts he is now respectful and cooperative with the process.  

In family therapy, the family has worked on increasing structure at home and creating appropriate boundaries among family members.  The level of safety has increased in the home throughout this process. In addition, the team members, including the referring school district representative, meet for progress meetings in order to outline progress on individual and family goals.
Tony has done well at Wediko.  His aggression has greatly reduced (both physical and verbal), he is better able to verbalize his feelings, he has built positive peer and adult relationships, and is less prone to dangerous, impulsive behaviors.  Tony is looking forward to going back to his home school, graduating high school, and going to college.