I am a parent of an adolescent with dual diagnosis. I was excited to become involved in the new family organization formed as a part of our system of care grant. For many years I had felt very alone as I tried to advocate for my child in systems that would not allow me to speak or to participate in my child’s treatment and plans. There were about fifteen families working on the development of the new organization. The woman who was the director quickly took over and none of the rest of us were allowed to do anything without her involvement. Within months all but one of the families quit and most had endured personal attacks and threats by the director. I decided to withdraw. Over the course of the grant, the original family organization proved to be not viable but many of us were still caught up in the old feelings and history of our work together. In the end three family groups developed, each with a different focus – advocacy, a family resource center and parent mentoring.

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