Hope for the Future

Madeleine, a fifteen-year-old with curly brown hair and a quiet disposition, has lived in several residential programs. She struggled with self-harm and emotional outbursts. The future seemed bleak. Then, she arrived at PCHAS’ Residential Treatment Center in Farmington, Missouri.

“After the first month, I felt more comfortable here than I did at any other placement,” she says.

Madeleine hasn’t harmed herself since she came to PCHAS. Her therapist has helped her learn to talk about her emotions and express them in a healthy way. Without PCHAS, Madeleine says, her life could be summed up with one word: hopeless.

In the six months that she’s lived with PCHAS, Madeleine has seen changes in the way she thinks and feels. She credits PCHAS with teaching her how to implement a routine, be a mediator and advocate for herself. Due to miscommunication, the court mandated that Madeleine stay in the secure unit longer than she needed to. PCHAS advocated for her to move forward in the program and into more independent living.

Madeleine loves to paint and draw, and her artwork can be found decorating the walls of the treatment center. She dreams of becoming an art therapist one day so that she can help others heal.