Cherish

Cherish was a young mother of five going through a divorce.  Her husband, an angry abusive man, blamed her for everything that went wrong in the home and had her convinced that she should work morning till night trying to please him so that he would love her and the children.  She sat through 2 and 3 hour lectures at a time after the children went to bed at night.  When she could no longer stand it she sought help from her neighbors and ecclesiastical leaders to separate and get help for herself and the children.  Her bishop sent all five children to The Green House Center for therapy.  Five therapists teamed to help Cherish understand the specific issues of divorce that children face as they worked with the children through sandtray and art therapy, play therapy and EMDR for trauma.  12 year old Shelly was helped by her therapist to find her voice as she attempted to tell her father that she could no longer stand the weekend visits that took her from her friends and her own church group on Sundays and consisted of strictly controlled activities, long lectures and harsh treatment.  Eventually each child found the ability to trust adults again and regained a sense of safety in their lives.  They have all completed therapy but stop in to say hello now and again.