“I No Longer Felt Alone.” How Wraparound Helped One Mother Recover from Addiction and Reconnect with Family
A Wraparound Family Story
The Corres-Garcia family has accessed support from Wraparound services at different times and for different needs as their family has navigated the child welfare system, mental health needs, and difficulties with addiction. The mother, Sandra, sat down with us recently to share her experiences and appreciation for Wraparound’s supportive role in her family’s success.
“We were first introduced to Wraparound when my oldest child was having difficulties and needed services,” Sandra shared. “I wasn’t sure how to help her, and I was scared for her.”
Sandra recalled the family’s first time with Wraparound as a positive experience; her daughter was connected to community resources, such as mental health services, “things improved,” and the family graduated out of Wraparound.
“We had rules, like no blaming, no judging—and that helped everyone feel safe. Eventually, we were able to tell each other how we [felt], and I began to realize how much I was learning about my kids.” - Sandra Corres-Garcia
“What brought us back to Wraparound a second time was some incidents of domestic violence and my struggle with addiction,” Sandra bravely disclosed. “My oldest son was struggling in school, getting into trouble at home and in the community. I was [also] struggling with drug use and was not able to follow through with services. [Child Protective Services] got involved, and the kids were no longer at home with me. I thought all was lost.”
Sandra attributes the support of Wraparound to giving her the courage to get into services for herself and for making it possible for her children to come home.
“[The Wraparound team] told me they believed in me, that they would stand by me,” she recalled. “It was scary at first, but I trusted them. I wanted things to change for the kids, but [Wraparound] encouraged me to do it for myself as well.”
It was Sandra’s experience that most people tended to write off those who were suffering from drug addiction as a Drug Addict—full stop.
“But not Wraparound,” she said. “[Their support] was what I needed to move forward. I was able to get out of my destructive relationship, and I began to believe in myself and get stronger. I also had the support I needed to get help for my drug addiction and became more available emotionally for my kids.”
Sandra vividly remembers the family meetings that occurred during visitation with the kids, and how Wraparound worked collectively with the family and individually based on their unique needs.
“The goal was to bring everyone back together,” she recounted. “I learned how to listen to their needs, take part in their interests, and learned what makes each one unique.”
Sandra also described how the structure of the family meetings was helpful.
“We had rules, like no blaming, no judging—and that helped everyone feel safe. Eventually, we were able to tell each other how we [felt], and I began to realize how much I was learning about my kids.”
Sandra talked about how the children each had their own mentor, a special person that they would meet with on a regular basis. The mentor would encourage them to make good choices and show the children how to use their voices to advocate for their needs.
“The kids looked forward to meeting with their mentors and the Wraparound family meetings.”
Sandra also fondly recalled her positive experience with a parent partner, expressing particular appreciation that the parent partner would attend court hearings and Child and Family Team meetings with her, making Sandra feel supported and heard.
“She would help me with anything!” Sandra exclaimed. “One of the best things about Wraparound was I no long felt alone!”
Today, the future is bright. Speaking about her children, she shared that Avil, age 11, is home now and doing well at home and school. David, age 16, is working on returning home, and Wraparound will assist once again to make his transition successful. Anai, age 18 is also at home. Communication between all the family members has improved. Sandra expressed how proud she is of all her kids.
And Sandra? She was excited to share that she celebrated her 6-year sobriety anniversary this past April. She proudly shared that her hard work on her sobriety has allowed her to feel more stable and have a greater capacity to be available to and supportive of her children and help them grow into caring adults. Way to go, Corres-Garcia family!
Read additional articles from this issue of the Wraparound Connections Newsletter!
