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How do you measure success? For most of us, success seems to be gauged with greatness…the big account, the big game, the big win. Success counts only when something “big” is involved. At The Children's Place, however, success is measured in small strides, day by day, with incremental gains.
For siblings Sophia and Roberto* just being able to talk to their therapist was tough. Four year old Sophia and three year old Roberto came to The Children’s Place after witnessing and enduring domestic violence. Their mother’s boyfriend had physically and emotionally abused her and the children. The boyfriend went to jail. In his wake, he left two small children struggling with the damage he had inflicted on them emotionally and developmentally.
The children were referred to the Day Treatment Services program and began working with therapist Debbie Landis, MSW. As a result of the extreme domestic violence they had experienced, they were very guarded, did not engage easily and had trust and anger issues. Sophia had born the brunt of more physical abuse. She had many healed injuries on her little body and was particularly non-responsive when she first arrived.
Day by day, staff worked to earn their trust. Debbie says progress was very slow. Though both children were bright, they were extremely insecure with feelings of inferiority. Working with their therapist and teachers, they began to break through the emotional walls they had built to survive their abusive environment. Bit by bit, they were making up for lost ground. Both sister and brother began to be more open, verbal, and expressive of their needs. Sophia even began to be mischievous, playing little tricks on her therapist and then laughing when she “got her.”
So, how do you gauge success at The Children's Place? Every solemn stare that becomes a smile, every guarded eye that becomes bright and open, every small mouth that goes from silent to chatty, every tear that turns into a giggle. All these small daily gains add up to changed lives with new opportunity for happy futures…the biggest win of all.
Read Another Story of Success about the Children We Serve
*Not their real names
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