When Leslie was granted supervised visits at her custody hearing, she was excited to see her son again, but was also confused and overwhelmed. Wanting to make sure that she was following the judge’s orders correctly, Leslie reached out to Radiant Futures’s helpline to schedule an intake with our SAFE Program

Leslie was able to meet with an advocate within the same week, where it was determined that she met all requirements necessary to begin seeing her son on Tuesday afternoons after months of no contact. Although the visits were limited to a few hours each week, it was the beginning of a long journey to reestablish the relationship with her son.

Within weeks, there was a noticeable bond growth between them, but Leslie noticed that communication with her teenage son had some challenges. She requested additional support in the form of Radiant Futures’s Triple P parenting class. It allowed her to learn age-appropriate communication, positive parenting skills, and tips on how to better connect with her child. As she began to incorporate the tools she was learning into her visits with her son, their communication improved and Leslie felt successful in her relationship with her child for the first time since losing custody.

During this time, Leslie confided in her advocate that she was a survivor of relationship abuse. Her advocate suggested Personal Empowerment Program, better known as PEP, a 10-week series dedicated to learning about healthy relationships. Meeting weekly, Leslie learned how to set boundaries, identify red flags, and maintain healthy relationship dynamics to prevent finding herself in a similar situation as before. Leslie was excited to begin her healing and growth as she had never before been comfortable discussing her experiences with her family and friends.

After 3 months, Leslie returned to court to provide an update on her participation in the SAFE program. Through written reports from her advocate, the judge recognized the success and initiative taken by Leslie to enroll in Triple P as well as PEP and granted unmonitored visits with her son; she could now freely see her son without supervision. Leslie continues to attend PEP to empower herself, and to strengthen her relationship with her son.

To learn more about Radiant Futures’s Community Services Programs, please visit our website at www.wtlc.org or call our 24/7 Helpline at 877-531-5522.