By Cynthia Henderson, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C
I am caught between leaving childhood, some of the benefits that it brought or benefits taken away
In route to adulthood, am I ready, my brain is still processing the shift and feeling it has gone astray
So many things I may never see again, so many places I dreamed of, will they ever materialize
My nights feeling abandoned, my world has been traumatized and my eyes puffy from my frequent cries
But some realized I am a process, my life is a process, my brain development is a process
You took the time to rescue and to help me untangle this emotional mess
You saw my anger but realized that it was not all about you
You saw my confusion and understood that I honestly, did not know what decisions to make and had no clue of what to do
You removed my labels of “bad Kid” or kid at-risk, and kid destined to fail, damaged and lost
You became the worker, the social worker who refused to be seized by documents and constrained by cost
You dared to learn what the development speed of the processing in my brain would take
You viewed my process as an opportunity to slow down, and think, and adjust to my growth, and consider my emotional ache
You used my processing time to help me heal and to shift the direction that my life was as it headed in deep depression
I used my amygdala, the emotional part of my brain that perpetrates impulses, instinctive behavior, and aggression
You took the time to realize that I was dealing with the impact of loss and trauma in my adolescent seasons
Please remember that if treated properly, I will one day get through this process and share my process reasons
Thank you for Caring
Cynthia Henderson is senior practice associate in child welfare at NASW and Project Coordinator Phase One of the Integrating Adolescent Brain Development Into Child Welfare Practice with Older Youth initiative.
