Nakita and her six year old son, Aziah, haven’t had it easy the last few years. Fleeing domestic violence left them feeling unsafe and not sure where to turn.
Aziah began suffering from PTSD due to things he had seen in his home prior to leaving the domestic violence behind. He began having nightmares and showing aggressive behavior and poor impulse control.
Nakita saw the effects of the toxic relationship on her son and she knew they needed help to heal and grow. They found HopeSparks about a year ago, and Aziah began counseling with Christie. In therapy, he learned about his feelings and how to talk about them without acting on them in hurtful ways. He and his mom began practicing mindfulness together, and his mom held and followed through with healthy boundaries and expectations for his behavior.
Today, Nakita says that Aziah is safe, secure and confident. He is doing great at school making new friends, achieving awards for good behavior and having lots of fun!
“HopeSparks makes me happy. I have joy and I have new friends,” Aziah said. He “graduated” from therapy in August, but he said he wished he could come back to HopeSparks and “play” with Christie again.
Nakita said that she wants people to know that are many resources for help, but asking is the first and hardest step. She hopes that through reading this, parents will know that HopeSparks is a safe place where kids can heal and become confident and secure.
“I found that there is a light at the end. It was like coming through a dark cloud and being able to see where things need to be. I can see the joys in life again.”