In foster care, sometimes there are unsuccessful placements. This was the case with Scotty – he has been placed in several homes and it did not work out well for him. When Scotty began his “relationship” with the Family Healing Center at the tender age of five, legal custody had just been given back to his mother. His services included therapeutic visitation with his father, as well as individual therapy.

Scotty and his father visited twice weekly where they redeveloped a wonderful relationship. Scotty and his dad decorated the center every Christmas and loved putting up the Christmas tree. When furniture was broken, Scotty and his dad would repair it with their tool box. Scotty’s dad would buy ice cream cups for all the children and Scotty loved handing the cups to everyone. These activities contributed to enhancing Scotty’s self-esteem and cemented the bond between father and son.

After several years of perseverance with the juvenile courts and Butler County Children’s Service, Scotty’s father was able to regain custody of him. Since Scotty’s return home, his dad brings him to the Family Healing Center to visit our staff from time to time or to help deal with minor behavioral issues. Just last week, his father dropped off a copy of his Ohio test scores. Scotty had scored above average or way above average on all subjects. His father is so proud of him and so are we.

Scotty is a child that endured a great deal of upheaval in his young life, both in custody changes and housing changes. Family Healing Center is very proud to be, along with his father, a stable force in his life, as well as in the lives of all of the families who receive services at the Family Healing Center.

CDC Behavioral Health Services provides therapeutic visitation for Butler County Children’s Services (BCCS) at the Family Healing Center. Programming is provided to families involved with BCCS who have been ordered to have supervised parent-child visitation. Cognitive Behavioral Treatment, an evidence-based trauma model of care, addresses family issues such as mental health, substance use, or domestic violence that can impact adequate parenting and reunification of the family. The program’s primary goal is to help families reunify and establish a healthy and functional family unit. Staff works closely with BCCS and other community providers that are serving these family members.