When I was 6 years old, my parents abandoned me and my two younger sisters by a dumpster. After being found, my sisters and I went in and out of fosters homes until we were considered too old to receive help any longer. I have struggled with depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder and reactive attachment disorder since my parents left me to die at that dumpster.

Things have only gotten worse for me as the years have passed. I no longer qualify for SoonerCare because I don't have children, and I have been unable to get approved for disability assistance. This has been a very difficult struggle because my mental health conditions are debilitating and keep me from being able to consistently hold a job. If I couldn't get help from programs like this, I don't even know if I would still be alive.

*Name of client has been changed

I grew up in a poor family in rural America.  My parents always showed love and affection for my sister and I, but it was no secret that our family had financial problems. Often, we did not know where our next meal would come from.

When I was 14, my sister and I were introduced to some "friends" of our parents who would take care of us until our folks could get back on their feet.  We were sent with this young couple and forced into human trafficking.

I received a referral about 7 months ago to do an intake on a 9-year-old child who had possibly been the victim of child abuse. I set an appointment and met with the biological mother, Chrystie, who was only 29, and the child who was the subject of the DHS investigation.

The family consisted of 5 children, a single mother and 3 fathers nowhere to be seen in the picture. At the time of the Intake, I was able to help get the children covered under insurance and signed up for counseling services, but there was no available help for their mother. DHS recommended parenting classes to teach Chrystie appropriate ways to discipline and be more compassionate with her children. Chrystie had been turned away from numerous places because she did not have the ability to pay for the classes and DHS had closed their investigation.