Serving South King County of Western Washington State

A Safe Place to Talk and Room to Flourish

Geoffrey loves helping his grandparents out on their farm. Living with them for most of his life, he is eager for the day when he can drive the tractor on his own. He has many friends at school and here at Nexus Youth and Families too. Geoffrey has been participating in mental health counseling since he was five years old.

His parents were on the brink of divorce and Geoffrey was experiencing severe behavior issues. “I was about to take on responsibility for Geoffrey full time and we both needed some support,” said his grandmother Brenda. They both found Nexus (then Auburn Youth Resources) and were connected to a mental health counselor.

It might surprise you that someone at Geoffrey’s age would need to speak with a therapist, but Nexus supports participants from age birth to 24 and their families. “I don’t know where we would be without you guys” Brenda said. She describes the counselors and staff as family and says that it has been Geoffrey’s “safe place”. Geoffrey needed an outlet all to himself. “We don’t even ask the counselors what happened during therapy, because it’s for Geoffrey. If something needs to be brought up to us, we are confident Geoffrey or the counselor will let us know” Brenda explained.

Geoffrey is a flourishing (almost) ten-year-old. After saving over $220 of his reward for good behavior, he decided he wanted to donate his money to “a homeless person” at Nexus. His generosity didn’t go unnoticed either. The Mayor of Auburn surprised and awarded him the city’s highest service award at his school assembly.

Geoffrey appreciates the time he spends with his counselors and it’s clear that staff do too. He often visits the office outside of the time he works with his therapist just to hang out or say hello. His story is a testament to the magic that happens behind the doors of our Behavioral Health Department. A magic that would not be possible without the many supporters of its programs.

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