Parents of abusive teens race for help
By Hudson Sangree
McClatchy Newspapers
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.28.2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Davis mother who drove all night, across 1,600 miles, to lawfully abandon her teenage son at a hospital in rural Nebraska said she was desperate because local police and child-welfare authorities wouldn't help her.
"Just walk into the hospital, and they'll make sure you're taken care of," she told her 14-year-old son before leaving him Friday.
Troubled teenagers have long pushed parents to the breaking point. In this case, the single, working mother of four said she could no longer cope with a child who was abusive and defiant and threatened her and her other children with violence.
For parents of such problem teens, there is a network of resources available through schools and mental health providers. But there are cracks in the system, and the frustrations of dealing with a patchwork of services.
When authorities declined to intervene after her son raised a knife against the family, she said, her only option was to abandon him in a state that would accept him.
Her son was the last of three dozen older children abandoned in Nebraska in recent months before the state's Legislature closed a loophole in its new "safe haven" law. Now, only newborns can be dropped off without legal liability there.
What options do parents have in such circumstances?
The best starting point for most parents, say experts, is their child's school. School psychologists can identify whether a child is a candidate for mental health services.
Tami Fien, a program specialist at McClatchy High School, said students who appear to have emotional problems are assessed by a team of school personnel. They decide if the student qualifies for special education and counseling.
But the options aren't perfect, she said. For instance, students who have only substance abuse problems may not qualify for special education. "We've got children getting into drugs," she said. "They're not disabled, but they're falling apart."
In that case, the school tries to make do with its limited resources for helping, she said. Wealthier parents can pay for private treatment. Indigent parents can seek assistance through Medi-Cal. Some working parents qualify for employee assistance programs that pay for counseling, or their HMOs have programs.
"It's those people in the middle — they're stuck with what the schools have," she said.
Steve Mackey, a caseworker with the children's division of Sacramento County Mental Health Services, said schools often will refer students with emotional and behavioral problems who qualify for special-education programs.
A variety of treatment options are available, he said, from therapy sessions to residential treatment programs.
http://http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/news/269264.php