29th May 2019
After her marriage ended, Jo* noticed her adolescent son’s behaviour was changing.
He was becoming intimidating. He refused to go to school and was being emotionally abusive. This affected her confidence and made her feel like it was her fault and she had been too soft.
Jo turned to Anglicare Victoria’s Breaking the Cycle program, an eight-week group work program for parents and carers whose adolescents are abusive or violent in the home. 
“It helped me look at things differently. Instead of reacting, it gave me strategies to think about the appropriate time to talk to my son and provide boundaries,’’ says Jo
Team leader Larisa Freiverts, says parents who experience adolescent violence often blame themselves and are confused in how best to respond.
“Many parents have tried everything to get their young person to change their behaviour or have tried, without success, to compel their young person to engage with supports”
“It is the grief, fear, shame and guilt for the loss of the relationship with their young person as a result of violence that results in parents seeking help”
You can learn more about ‘Breaking The Cycle’ here.
