From the Book, “Help my Kids are Hurting”
By Marv Penner

Kids will decide whom they’ll trust with their deepest pain.
Kids need non parental adults to help them navigate the realities of their complicated adolescent world. Formal systems to deal with kids at risk have been established in many communities. Guidance counselors in schools, Social Workers, toll-free crisis lines, after-school programs, and counseling centers invite hurting kids to tell their stories. But when a kid really hurts, he longs for a relationship with someone who cares about him on a personal level—someone who knows his name and is available outside of office hours. Kids share their lives with people who’ve taken the time to prove their trustworthiness. They don’t care about the education, certification, or experience of the people they choose to trust. They just need to know those people care.