THE BRYSONS

As teenagers, Terra Bryson and her husband used drugs some, but they had been sober for 10 years and were raising three children when a moment of vulnerability led to relapse.

Their three school-aged children were taken into foster care. Terra was pregnant, and the baby was taken into the child welfare system after birth. The parents were heartbroken.

“We were told that you don’t come back from this; you don’t get your children back,” Terra said.

“We refused to believe that, and we kept pushing forward and pushing forward.”

Youth Villages’ YVIntercept family specialists stepped in to help the couple complete the requirements to reunite their family. The Brysons underwent mental health assessments and attended anger management and parenting classes, as well as Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Specialists worked with both parents and their children; the oldest child was angry with her parents for what they’d done, and at first, refused to come to visitation.

After 10 months of intensive support from Youth Villages, the children came home safely. Terra believes this tumultuous time in their lives helped shape them into a stronger family.

“Our relationship with our kids is so much better now, and I am really grateful for everything that happened, as horrible as it was,” Terra said.

“Sometimes, you lose sight of how important and how good things are, but we’ll never take it for granted ever again.”