Carl* entered Morrison’s Counterpoint Residential/Proctor program in the fall of 2001 at the age of 15, after sexually abusing his two younger cousins. The abuse had occurred over several years, during which time Carl threatened to physically harm his cousins if they told anyone what happened. Carl was considered dangerous because of his seeming lack of remorse over hurting his cousins.

When he came to Morrison, Carl was angry and anti-authoritarian. He denied the extent of the sexual abuse against his cousins and was furious that his cousins had told their mother. After several months of treatment in the residential unit, Carl began to exhibit calmer behavior. He was moved to a proctor home, where he revealed to his proctor father that his uncle had sexually abused him when he was seven. With help from Morrison staff, Carl was able to connect his own feelings of victimization with his cousins' experiences.

After that breakthrough, progress was rapid and Carl became more honest about his actions, the impact of those actions on others, and his own anger and defensiveness. His proctor father was instrumental in this progress, as he both supported Carl and held him accountable for his problem behaviors.

Carl’s family was involved throughout his treatment at Morrison. They are currently working on mending the rift in the extended family that was created by Carl’s actions and the revelation of multi-generational sexual abuse. Carl returned home at the end of last year, spending the holidays with his family for the first time in two years.

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* Names and certain events have been changed to maintain confidentiality and to protect the children and families we serve