The Journey Towards Hope and Healing

Kori sat at a table with tears in her eyes. It was a turning point for her as a caregiver, and she hoped too for Jacobi.

Looking at this group of people, I see hope for the first time,” she said as she reached across the table towards Chelsea, Thornwell’s Residential Admissions Coordinator.

Jacobi was coming home!

Hope wasn’t loud or triumphant. Sometimes it felt close, but still just slightly out of reach. It was hard fought for, and when it came it came quietly, almost unnoticed. She wanted to cherish it now – hope for herself, hope for Jacobi, hope for the future.

She remembered sitting at this same table not too long ago, tears in her eyes – hopeless. She felt exhausted, like she had failed, like she had nowhere else to turn.

Jacobi came to Kori when he entered foster care at eight years old. Kinship care wasn’t something she had planned, but it was something she chose without hesitation. What she hadn’t chosen — what no one could have prepared her for — was the weight of his trauma.

He startled at small noises. He melted down over things that didn’t make sense. He pushed her away in the very moments he needed her most. Some days, it seemed like everything was a trigger.

Kori tried everything she knew how to do. Nothing seemed to work. And slowly, quietly, hope began to slip through her fingers.

Thornwell’s ARC Program

After a few years – years filled with hopelessness for both Kori and Jacobi as they sought the right combination of support, therapy, and medications – Kori only knew they couldn’t keep going the way things were, but she wouldn’t give up.

Once she found Thornwell and Jacobi was admitted to the ARC Program, Kori knew the hard work wasn’t over. In many ways, it was just beginning – for both of them – but this time, they weren’t in it alone. They were both surrounded by caring, compassionate and understanding adults who didn’t judge what they had been through or how they handled it – they gently walked with them through the early days of navigating next steps.

Jacobi was safe. He had a community of support and wrap-around services. He was participating in mental health therapy and occupational therapy. A turning point was getting his own noise-cancelling headphones that helped him when he felt overstimulated or frustrated. He was beginning to make new friends and try new activities.

Kori was engaged and involved. She trusted the staff and found community with the other parents and caregivers. She was learning new skills and strategies to support Jacobi – grounded in Trust-Based Relational Intervention. She was getting her own therapy.

A New Chapter: Small Wins

Healing didn’t happen all at once – in fact, Kori knows there is no final destination. This is something both she and Jacobi will navigate for the rest of their lives. But they will do it together!

There are still hard days. Still setbacks. Still moments where Kori will sit in her car after a tough moment, gripping the steering wheel, fighting back tears.

But now, those moments aren’t filled with the same hopelessness. Because she understands more. Because she has tools. Because she isn’t alone.

She sees hope now in the small things – Jacobi trying something new, calming himself with the tools he’s learned, laughing with a friend. Small wins. Real wins.

And she knows there are other families sitting at tables like she once did – exhausted, overwhelmed, wondering if anything will ever change.

For them, she would say this: Hope doesn’t arrive all at once. Sometimes it looks like asking for help. Sometimes it looks like staying when things are hard. Sometimes it looks like trusting someone to walk alongside you. But hope is there. And no family should have to find it alone.

*While these stories are based on true experiences, the names have been changed to respect their privacy