Sara’s Story
Sara is 13, although her parents told her they were separating over 6 months ago they both are still living in the family home. This is because it would be too expensive to rent or buy another home and neither parent wants to be the one to leave. Although, in some ways, this is quite good because Sara still gets to see a lot of both her mum and her dad, in other ways it makes life very difficult. Because Sara’s parents are so angry at each other they fight constantly and Sara sometimes dreads going home. She wishes they could stop arguing and be nice to each other and sometimes gets caught up in the middle of their arguments. When she does she feels awful as she doesn’t want to side with either of them. The only way she can get away from the tension at home is to go to a friend’s house but she still has to go home to sleep. Luckily Sara’s friend is really supportive and understanding and Sara knows she can talk to her if she is really upset.
Sara found talking to a Teen Between counsellor helpful because, even though the counsellor can’t solve her parents’ problems, they can help Sara manage the situation at home. The counsellor has helped Sara tell her parents not to involve her in their arguments and also to let them know the effect their quarrels have on her.
