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Eric was a father of three beautiful children, all under the age of 10 and had been married nearly 12 years. Eric had a history of mental health concerns and his relationship with his wife was rocky, with threats of divorce looming.

One night, while home alone with the kids, he decided to take his own life.

Thankfully, Eric was unsuccessful but the children saw everything. The scene was extremely graphic and left the kids in a state of fear. Why would daddy do this? Did WE do something wrong?

The children came to Family & Children’s Place shortly afterward where our therapy team began working with each of them, along with setting up individual treatment plans for mom and dad.

Each child began intensive, hands-on therapy lasting nearly a year. Our team helped each child process their own fear, anger, and guilt around their father’s attempted suicide. We reminded them that what happened was not their fault, teaching them that their feelings were OK.

Over time, each child was able to share what happened and how it made them feel with their parents. Through hard work and learning to trust each other again, the family learned to reconnect and support each other.

Eric and his family came in for a yearly check-in with their therapist. They were all smiling, laughing, and talking in a way that was healthy and supportive – something they hadn’t been able to do in a long time.

Thanks to YOU, Family & Children’s Place helped each family member process what happened in a healthy and productive way and the family is stronger because of it.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients. The photo is a representation of our client and not a real photo.