“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” —Plato
The treatment had a bumpy start. The dad was verbally abusive toward me, to put it mildly, from the moment I walked in. Practically the first words out of his mouth were “F’ off! You can keep your f-ing treatment,” adding that the “F-ing boy is never coming to my house ever again!”
This anger isn’t uncommon. Juvenile offenders we see in Multisystemic Therapy have pushed their parents, caregivers, and families to the brink. Many of our families are beaten down trying to deal with their beyond-control children and have lost all hope. After trying what seems like everything, they wonder why to bother anymore. Often, they just want the pain and frustration to stop.
