Marko's story

Little eyes and little ears don't miss much, soaking in sights and sounds. Child "witnesses" of violence and abuse are overwhelmed by intense feelings and concentrate hard on their own thoughts. They may feel confused and scared and blame themselves.

When 6-yr old Marko* was referred to KidsXpress by his case worker, he had witnessed ongoing abuse, assault and systemic control of his mother by his father for the first four years of his life. It was only after Marko’s dad was incarcerated that the abuse stopped, leaving behind a trail of fear and anxiety in both Marko and his mother Ana*.

Marko and Ana received support from KidsXpress therapy space in Macquarie Park. In her first private session, Ana expressed concern about her son’s constant crying and aggression. She questioned her parenting methods and blamed herself for his behaviour.

In his first few sessions with the therapists, Marko drew dinosaurs, depicting them as “big, scary monsters” frequently exclaiming that he had to hide from the dinosaur to save himself. Using art therapy, the therapists encouraged Marko to further explore his past experiences and worked through his emotions with him.

It was a telling moment when in Week 9, Marko drew the same dinosaur that he always started each session with, but then asked for a pair of scissors. As he proceed to meticulously cut the dinosaur’s head off, he exclaimed to the therapists…“I’m not afraid anymore”.

Ana was supported in improving her self-confidence and belief in her parenting skills. KidsXpress helped her understand that Marko’s behaviour was typical of a child who’d experienced family violence. It was also important for her to know that this was not a reflection of the man he was to become.

“I’m no longer scared of Marko or of how I parent him. I now feel so much more confident” she wrote in one of her follow-up evaluation surveys.

A child who lives with violence may be forever changed, but thanks to early-intervention programs, a child is not forever damaged.

How UnLtd helps children like Marko:

UnLtd supports KidsXpress by providing funding for their expressive group therapy programs as well as one-on-one therapy programs. UnLtd also supports KidsXpress through the annual UnLtd Cup tournament that KidsXpress is a beneficiary of.

*Names of mother and child have been changed to protect privacy

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