A young person’s success often depends on the support they receive from those around them. Without a healthy support system, navigating life’s challenges can become overwhelming, especially for children who have experienced trauma.

At the heart of Youth Villages’ Intercept program is a simple but powerful belief: children thrive best with their families when it’s safe to do so. That’s why strengthening families is a cornerstone of the services we provide. Intercept offers intensive in-home support to help families heal and grow together.

Meet Mike, Laura and Jim

Mike is a high schooler who loves video games like Minecraft and Roblox. He lives with his grandparents, Laura and Jim, who became his primary guardians after he experienced abuse from a biological parent. The trauma left Mike struggling with anger, aggression and emotional distress. Though he was now in a safer environment, the journey toward healing was just beginning for all of them.

Understanding the root of a child’s behavior requires supporting the entire family. Laura and Jim didn’t expect their own healing would be part of the process, but that’s exactly what happened when they met Jessica, Mike’s family intervention specialist.

Like many families who’ve faced trauma, Laura and Jim were initially skeptical about accepting help. But Jessica’s approach made all the difference.

“For me, it was the in-home aspect of the service,” Laura shared. “This allowed our grandson to have reactions to things in real time and get on-the-spot evaluation, not five days later at a standard therapy session.”

Jessica’s hands-on style and commitment to advocacy helped Laura and Jim better understand Mike’s behavior and how to support him.

For Jim, the experience was equally transformative.

“Initially, I struggled to adapt to Mike’s behaviors and struggles,” Jim said. “He was not like any other child I’d interacted with before. Jessica helped me just as much as my grandson. What I realized is I needed help, too, and she coached me in a way that was necessary.”

Jim described the experience with a powerful metaphor:

“It’s like when you’re on an airplane and they demonstrate putting on masks — they always tell you to put yours on first before you help someone else. I didn’t know how to put my own mask on to be able to help my grandson before this experience with Youth Villages.”

Jessica’s support extended beyond therapy sessions. She attended meetings at school, showed up at soccer games, and even sat with Mike in the classroom, building trust through consistent presence.

“When children have gone through traumatic experiences at the hands of an adult, it can make interactions with them very difficult,” Jessica explained. “It’s important to do things that engage them in different ways. I find it makes them a little more comfortable in opening up and trusting adults again.”

Mike now has the tools to express his emotions in a healthy way and continues to use what he learned in the Intercept program to advocate for himself. Laura and Jim are applying the lessons they learned to support Mike, and themselves, as they grow together as a family.

Stories like theirs remind us that when we show up for a young person, we must also show up for the family. Healing is a shared journey and with the right support, transformation is possible.

About Youth Villages – North Carolina

In collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, our North Carolina services focus on strengthening families to prevent or reduce the need for out-of-home placements (Intercept, MST and High Fidelity Wraparound) and supporting youth who age out of foster care or lack a stable caregiver as they transition to adulthood (LifeSet).

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