The Hernandez* family came to the Buckner Family Hope Center® at Bachman Lake, local to their Dallas community, needing a hand in strengthening their family unit. Cherie* began with attending parenting classes, but she grew interested in the one-on-one family coaching available. 

The family of five jumped into adult classes, as well as children and youth programs with their three daughters ranging from 8 to 16 years old. Cherie brought her family to Buckner with two main concerns: improving challenging communication and interactions at home and to find emotional support. 

“Cherie mentioned that sometimes things weren’t right at home, but she wasn’t sure what it was,” shared Ruth Bayona, Buckner family coach. “She felt concern for her middle daughter Andrea* who was displaying dangerous behaviors such as physically harming herself to cope with stress.”

With Cherie’s encouragement, Andrea enrolled in the teen program available at the Family Hope Center and experienced one-on-one support and attention from the teen specialist on staff. She participated in tutoring sessions to help her healthily manage the stress of her academics, and created a support system who could support her through challenges. 

Both Andrea and Cherie enrolled in professional counseling services through a Buckner referral. These safe spaces for mother and daughter created an opportunity for true healing, growth and strengthening as a family and as a parent.

Over the course of several months and counseling sessions, Cherie learned “she needed to validate all her children’s feelings, listen without judgment and without interrupting,” shared Bayona. 

A few other tips she learned through counseling and parenting classes included:

• Offer your thoughts when your child is finished talking
• Help your child develop their own sense of identity
• Support them in building their self-esteem
• Create a safe space to say what they feel, what their opinions are, so they can learn to speak up about what they think and believe.

Through the help of the family coaching and counseling programs, this mom has learned the importance of communicating with her daughters but also creating responsibilities and consequences to foster a safe, consistent environment. She has also found that her daughters feel more comfortable at home and seek out advice from her more often than ever.

When parents are supported and equipped with the right tools, the entire family can thrive. The Family Hope Center offers tangible support and learning opportunities not only for parents, but for children and teens to cultivate their potential into who God created them to be. Programs and classes that encourage and strengthen families decreases the likelihood of abuse, neglect and removal of children. 

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Are you ready to strengthen your family? Find a Buckner Family Hope Center® near you.