Nothing but Blue Skies

Kathy, a senior in high school, had gone several months without communicating with her parents. Her parents had recently gone through a divorce, as a result of which Kathy felt pressure to choose a side. Due to the turmoil caused by her parents’ difficult divorce, the only option Kathy saw was to run away from home and seek temporary shelter with her friends.

Kathy was already faced with pressure and conflicting priorities as she worked to finish up her final year of high school. The stress of the divorce and the lack of a permanent home became too much to handle, and her grades rapidly declined. This put her at serious risk of not being able to graduate on time with her fellow classmates.

Thankfully, Kathy was referred to HAP’s Girls Runaway Intervention & Prevention Program. As a GRIPP participant, she received one-on-one counseling and mentoring, as well as group counseling. In addition, Kathy and her family actively participated in HAP’s Family Circle of Care program, through which they drastically improved their ability to communicate with each other in a more positive and frequent manner.

Through their participation in GRIPP, Kathy and her family were able to resolve enough of their conflicts to enable Kathy to move in with her father. As a result, her level of stress decreased tremendously, and she was able to rededicate time to her studies. Kathy began to steadily improve her grades, and she recently graduated on schedule with her classmates.

Kathy has found a job for the summer and has joined a flag football team. After many difficult and stressful months, Kathy reports that she sees nothing but blue skies ahead as she prepares to attend college in the fall.