Kimberly and Eveline: A Ventura County Wraparound Family Success Story

Kimberly and her mom, Eveline, were enrolled in Wraparound in 2022, and they stayed in the program for about two years. When we first met Kimberly, she was 13 years old and living in a resource family home, and Eveline was participating in a residential substance use recovery program. At the beginning of Wraparound services, Eveline struggled to confidently advocate for herself and her children. Kimberly, meanwhile, was struggling to adjust to being separated from her mother and siblings. 

After months of being away from her family, Kimberly was returned to her mother’s care alongside her other siblings. The Wraparound team worked diligently to build connection and trust with Kimberly and Eveline as the family began to navigate their new life together.

As the team got to know this family, it became clear that Eveline had a worldview shaped by being harmed not only by people in her life, but also by many systems that didn’t serve her. Similarly, Kimberly’s life experiences had taught her to distrust others: That her voice didn’t matter; that she would always be undermined by adults. As a result, she often responded to others with angry outbursts and aggression. It wasn’t until Kimberly was hospitalized for suicidal ideation that she felt her words were taken seriously.

Eveline had a worldview shaped by being harmed not only by people in her life, but also by many systems that didn’t serve her.

The flexibility of Wraparound and access to flex funds allowed us to creatively support the family in their goals, and to celebrate accomplishments.

The Wraparound team supported the family in creating goals based on their family vision of “Being a family that has a deeper connection, is open and honest, and supports each other no matter what.” The team also supported Kimberly and Eveline in creating individual goals. Kimberly’s goals were to strive to make better choices and have a stronger connection with her mom. Eveline’s goals were to “maintain sobriety and be a better parent.”

The Wraparound team had to slowly gain Eveline’s trust and respect to do important work alongside her and her children. Eveline’s pain would surface as anger, blame and chronic conflict with her children. The team was able to be a nonjudgemental mirror and help Eveline explore her parenting patterns, and to start to forgive herself along the way. The Wraparound team continued to show up for this family even as they felt pushed aside and chastised by treatment facilities, schools and other providers.

It was important to Kimberly and Eveline to improve their communication with one another. The Wraparound team offered joint services to allow Kimberly and Eveline to practice their positive communication. Engaging in walks during sessions provided a grounding space for Kimberly and Eveline to participate in healthy communication such as using “I-statements.” At first, they were very silly with one another, but with time, Kimberly and Eveline shared that they would practice I-statements when engaging in conversation. The walks also pushed Kimberly and Eveline out of their comfort zone to visit new places in their community and attend community events on their own. 

Eveline initially had a hard time managing her own emotions in a positive way, yet she remained committed to her daughter’s well-being and willing to try new tools to best support her daughter and their relationship. The Wraparound team provided psychoeducation to help Eveline build understanding of Kimberly’s behaviors and underlying needs, and supported Kimberly in developing positive coping skills, including using emotion/feeling recognition, journaling, reframing and listening to music. Kimberly was open to self-reflection and learning strategies to support her in de-escalating in moments of frustration and anger.

The team frequently used role-playing to give Eveline space to practice parenting strategies and talked through networks of support and plans for Eveline when she was worried about a relapse. Both Eveline and Kimberly learned that they really enjoyed craft-making and getting their nails done, which became a part of their coping skills and bonding time. Eveline continued to work hard at maintaining her 2-year sobriety, establishing natural supports and strengthening her relationship with her children, all while completing the recovery program. 

The Wraparound team continued to show up for this family even as they felt pushed aside and chastised by treatment facilities, schools and other providers.

While some of Kimberly’s challenges persisted, Eveline had the support of the Wraparound team to increase her skills to be a strong source of support for her daughter.  The Wraparound team was given the privilege to be included in Kimberly’s IEP process and saw firsthand the growth in Eveline’s and Kimberly’s communication skills. At school, Eveline focused on ensuring Kimberly’s IEP was appropriate, especially when she transitioned from middle to high school, and advocated for Kimberly to be allowed to take breaks and leave class early to avoid conflict with a peer. Before Wraparound closed, we witnessed Kimberly begin to express her needs in a way she previously refused to do. We saw Kimberly ask for supports that would work for her and acknowledge her pain and sadness toward her mother’s previous decisions as a parent.

The flexibility of Wraparound and access to flex funds allowed us to creatively support the family in their goals, and to celebrate accomplishments. When Kimberly shared her interest in boxing and the housing complex had a hanging boxing bag, flex funds were used to get Kimberly her first pair of boxing gloves. When Eveline needed access to a laptop to fully participate in the substance use recovery program, flex funds were used to secure a laptop. Flex funds were also used to help the family in celebrating several successes, including Eveline hitting special milestones of her time in sobriety and Kimberly’s quinceañera.

Today, the family is renting a room and is in line to access affordable housing. Eveline is working a few days a week and has maintained her sobriety. Kimberly hasn’t engaged in any self-harm and is regularly attending school.

Some of the Wraparound principles we utilized throughout services were community-based (having sessions out in the community, connecting them to other community resources), collaboration (participating in IEPs/mapping meetings, connecting with staff at the rehabilitation center, and Kimberly’s therapist), and family voice and choice (encouraging Eveline and Kimberly to vocalize their needs, wants, and feelings during CFTMs and other spaces to reach their goals). 

We will continue to root for Eveline and Kimberly and are grateful for all their hard work and determination toward meeting their family vision: “Being a family that has a deeper connection, is open and honest, and supports each other no matter what.”