Audrey's Story

Audrey* was 22 months old when she went to live with her grandparents. Up until that point, Audrey’s parents--unable to maintain employment, using drugs, in and out of legal trouble—had moved with Audrey between six different places and experienced periods of homelessness. Although her grandparents were loving guardians, they felt unprepared to manage the effects of her early childhood trauma. That’s why they came to Synergy Services for family therapy.

At our core, Synergy is an agency dedicated to strengthening individuals and families and helping them function in a healthy way. Our therapists confront complex family scenarios every day and specialize in helping children, youth and their parents or guardians to overcome the negative effects of traumatic life events. A wide variety of therapy options are available and offered in individual, couple, family and group formats.

Over the past five years, a Synergy therapist has helped Audrey begin to heal from the early trauma she experienced, and to create a strong and healthy bond with her grandparents. Art and play therapies have helped Audrey express her thoughts and feelings without the limits of vocabulary and provide a relaxed and interactive environment for her to deal with complex issues.

Audrey’s grandmother says their therapist at Synergy has helped Audrey overcome so much and has been a source of constant support for the family. “Audrey has been a resilient kiddo as she has coped with all the things life has thrown at her,” says her grandmother. “With the help she has received at Synergy and the strength and stability of our family, I know Audrey will succeed.”