Maya*

I get an urgent phone call from Evelyn*, mother of Jenny*, a 16  years old High schooler. Evelyn is very concerned. Jenny didn’t sleep all night and threatened to kill herself if there wasn’t a change in her life. I agree to see Jenny the same day.

I’m very surprised when I meet Jenny. She is small and skinny, very short blue hair and dressed in baggy pants and an oversized T-shirt. Weshalb surprised?

Jenny doesn’t speak much. I decide … ich bitte sie zu malen ..Du entscheidest, nicht sie. sie macht mit …. paint , weil …. ich damit erreichen will, dass We decide to paint instead. Jenny draws a gnome with a pointy hat and a very angry face. I ask her about it and she tells me that this gnome is living in her house. He protects her when her mother has “one of her minutes”.

Evelyn is a single mom, living on a very tight budget. She doesn’t have a profession and works as a waitress. Once in a while, the world crashes around her and she gets desperate. In these “one of her minutes”, as Jenny calls it, she loses control, trows things through the house and screams at her daughter. That’s when Jenny locks herself in her bedroom, puts in the earbuds listening to loud music and draws and writes in her journal. She draws cartoons of the gnome with the pointy hat, dives into his world.

I quickly realize that not only Jenny but also Evelyn needs support. *weil – ein bisschen ausführlicher, nur 2-3 Sätze***WIESO*****??? Over the next months, I meet weekly with Jenny and with Evelyn. Zusammen? Einzeln?

Evelyn learns to let Jenny “go”, the most difficult thing in parenting. She understands that she has to manage her anger and organize her life. This helps her to stop freaking out. Ein bisschen ausführlicher … wie? Methode? vorgehen?

Satz gleich anfangen “Jenny learns” …Jenny erkennt, dass sie sich hinter ihrem Kindbleibenwollen versteckt .. didn’t want to become like her mother and therefore tried to look like a child. In therapy, she learns taking her life in her own hands and she realizes that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean to follow her mother’s footsteps. She starts to dress up nicely, learns to wear light make-up and changes the color of her hair from blue to ginger.

Jenny wird ganz schnell erwachsen …She also learns to appreciate her potentials. She graduates with cum laude and is accepted by a very good art college.

*Name und Lokalität geändert (oder sowas)