Mr. Stokes establishes relationships with everyone that the consumers identify as important to them. He is truthful, reflective and connected with his consumers. He supports his direct care staff, clinical and administrative team with recognizing that they all must honor the trust of the consumers, families and referral sources to service the community. From top to bottom, Regeneration staff demonstrates a real commitment to add to the success of consumers and families. Our organization has developed a very productive treatment relationship with Mr. Stokes and the Regeneration Project and we highly recommend their services.

Our son was referred to Regeneration after multiple school suspensions for physical and verbal aggression incidents. We thought the program was going to be solely focused on him. My husband and I were initially resistant to family sessions and therapy because we saw our son’s issues as independent from us. After a few casual meetings with the Regeneration Staff, we found ourselves actively engaged  in the process.  We looked forward to the sessions as much if not more than our son. We learned new skills to our communication and parenting approach. The tools that we learned strengthened our relationships in our family unit. Our son transformed to a more respectful and cooperative individual with our family, peers, school personnel and community. As a unit, we are responding more positively to the daily challenges of life. Although our son still gets angry at times, the decrease and level of the outburst has been majorly decreased over the last 5 months. We are feeling very good about the progress that our family and our son has made in the short period of time that we’ve received services from Regeneration.  The program has been a God send for my husband and I as well as our son.

A little over two years ago, I was referred to Regeneration by my probation officer. I was a complete mess and didn’t know it. I was running away from home, fighting with my foster mom, smoking marijuana, failing in school and selling drugs. I was on the verge of being removed from my third foster home and being sent to a group home or to jail. My relationship with my biological family was non-existent and I was not open to being helped by anyone. I felt alone and hopeless because no one understood me except “other teens in my situation.” Despite my nasty attitude and defiant behavior, my probation officer, Mr. D, thought that I might benefit from participating in Regeneration. I had been going to therapy off and on for about seven years and wanted no more parts of sitting in a chair and talking to some stranger about my life, again!

My probation officer pretty much told me, participate or he’d violate me. Even though he told me that, I was still resistant during the first few encounters. Strangely, the staff didn’t seem like they were working and I didn’t feel like I was a subject being worked on. It felt like they were just being with me and allowing me an opportunity to move at my own pace. I started to trust the staff because they met me in the community and embraced my friends. They listened to me and helped me get into a school that had a program that interested me. They helped me re-connect to my biological family. I learned to trust that people do want to see me do well and that there was hope for me and my family.

This program can work for others,  just like me. I’ve learned to love myself and believe that I can be successful. Before I got into the program and developed these relationships, I would not let persons get close to me. Now, I am learning to be open to new relationships. I am un-learning the old thoughts and feelings that have held me captive in a negative space for years. I graduated high school with honors in 2016 and have enrolled in a four year university. I have re-established relationships with my biological family and I have no legal issues. I will tell anyone who will listen that therapy, community intervention and mentoring works if you give it a try. Regeneration helped me save my life.