CHW Hadassim Journal Entries

November 2024

The stress and anxiety created by the war are taking a serious toll on families. Parents are unequipped to deal with the behavioural issues and complex mental health challenges their children are grappling with. Tensions are high, creating rifts in relationships and marriages that are not easily fixed and violence in the home is at an all time high. Our Healing Young Minds campaign is addressing the critical issues around trauma recovery and PTSD treatment, as well as supporting education to provide hope for the future.

The Lea Zev Shilman & Joseph Zunia Shilman Therapeutic Programs at CHW Hadassim Children and Youth Village are supporting at-risk youth. The programs ensure children living in the dorms stay in contact with their parents through specialized therapy sessions and family excursions, while also receiving the emotional, social, and educational support they need to thrive.

Each week CHW Hadassim receives referrals from the Child Welfare Authority. One of those referrals was Adam. We will be sharing journal entries from Adam’s four-year therapeutic journey over the course of a few weeks, so you can better understand the challenging struggles that youth are experiencing.

ENTRY #1

October 12, 2020

So last week, I got to Hadassim. I didn’t want to come, but I can’t be in the house any more. Mom and Dad are always fighting about stuff like Dad not having a job and how much money they owe. It’s like, just figure it out, you’re both adults!

Then it got really bad. The neighbors had to call the cops because Dad started throwing things around and hitting Mom. I hid my little brother in our room because he was so freaked out by all the noise. It was so loud, and I couldn’t even focus, I was just trying to keep my brother calm and get through it.

Finally, they took Dad away and I didn’t even know what to think. It was just too much.

So now I’m here. It’s all green and stuff with trees everywhere. The people are super nice, like too nice. They want me to get to know me, but I don’t know why. They said I’ll feel better if I talk, like therapy. I guess I’m messed up or something. They said I should start by writing in a journal, so here I am. They said I should write how I feel.

I just feel really mad. Like why can’t my house be like everyone else’s? I don’t know, nothing makes sense right now. Everything is all messed up. I feel messed up.