Scott's Story Could you give up custody of your son to get him the help he needed? ... Scott's mom did.

Scott is now back with his family and is getting reacquainted
with his younger siblings.

When Scott was two, the pediatrician told his mother that he was a hyperactive child. When he was five, he became a victim of sexual abuse and a witness to family domestic violence. Over the next two years, Scott was not able to cope with family and school expectations. He had frequent fits of rage and repeatedly threatened to harm his four younger siblings. His mother, struggling emotionally and financially, tried everything she could to help Scott, but nothing seemed to work. She was advised that the best thing she could do for her son was to give up custody to the County so that he could be placed in residential treatment. Despite incredible guilt, Scott’s mother felt she had no other option.

For the next seven years, Scott lived in mental hospitals and group homes. Family would visit and he went home for major holidays, but he could never stay. And that was the hardest part of visiting—he couldn’t stay. He had to go back. After so many years of separation, Scott no longer believed he would ever live at home. Then EMQ got involved. EMQ’s Wraparound provided customized services to help get Scott home. At the group home, medication helped but he still had trouble with his anger. EMQ staff worked with Scott to recognize the things that triggered his anger so he could make choices about how he would react before he lost control. Working with the rest of the family, EMQ provided the support and skills that were needed to welcome Scott back.

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Confidentiality of EMQ children and families has been preserved
through the use of models. Some stories may be composites of multiple cases.