Supported by Jim, volunteer Mentor
Faye was 14 when she was referred to Eikon. Her father died when she was very young. Faye felt rejected by her mum, who chose for her to live with her aunt when she was 11 rather than stay in the family home following conflict between Faye and her mum’s new husband. This was causing Faye to behave aggressively towards other young people.
Faye is strong-willed, which can create friction with family, friends, and school. However, her mentor, Jim, recognised this as a strength and could see that her intelligence will set her apart from her peers and be a key factor in her future success. Jim is helping Faye to process her feelings of rejection. He helps her to look at what is happening more philosophically and to think through her actions and consequences.
Jim says, “It’s incredibly important for young people like Faye to have a safe space to express their frustrations and concerns in a healthy way. Thankfully she is now in a happier place and is doing much better in school. Through our work together, she has developed various coping strategies and, although the situation with her mum is unlikely to be resolved soon, Faye is quickly developing her amazing personality and is destined to succeed at whatever she does. Without early intervention from Eikon, I think she could have easily ended up causing herself extreme self-harm.”
Faye says…
“Life can be more difficult than expected, or I might want, but the support and ideas that I have had through Eikon have helped me develop coping strategies. I particularly like the affirmation cards that my mentor gives me such as ‘Be fun, be wacky, because life is too short to be anything but happy’.”
