Mike and Dana live in a comfortable suburb north of Fort Worth. Mike works as a pharmaceuticals sales representative and Dana is a teacher at the local elementary school. The Couple has three children Amy, 13, Michelle, 9, and Monty, 6.
The eldest child, Amy, has suffered from persistent anxiety and has engaged in some self-harming behaviors. Being attentive parents, Mike and Dana, paired Amy with Dawn, a young therapist in the area.
During a session with Dawn, Amy seemed to suggest she was considering further self-harm as a way to deal with her persistent anxiety. Dawn, as a “mandatory reporter” called the Texas Child Protective Services statewide intake number and made an anonymous report, alleging that Amy could be at risk for abuse or neglect in her parents’ care.
Mike and Dana were shocked and totally blindsided when they received a call from a CPS worker asking to come to their home and question them about their family and the abuse referral. I was working at my desk and took Mike’s call myself. The couple had spent two-hours online reading horror stories of families torn apart by false allegations of child abuse or neglect. They were in desperate need of help from a trusted source.
“You guys are in good shape,” I said. “Invite the CPS worker in and politely answer her questions. Keep it to the facts. Don’t guess. Don’t speculate. And do not sign anything or agree to anything without talking to me first.”
An hour later, I was in a CPS Coaching Session with Mike and Dana. They walked me through their family history and Amy’s struggles with her anxiety. It didn’t take long for me to understand their commitment to their children and desire to meet any issues head-on. Amy had been going to counseling for about three months and was actually doing quite well. That’s why the CPS referral came as such a shock!
I took the time to give Mike and Dana a little context so they could take-down their own anxiety! I explained professionals like Dawn are under a strict requirement to report suspected child abuse or neglect and, if they don’t, they risk losing their professional license. As I say, teachers, therapists, and doctors are never sanctioned for “over-reporting.”
Having helped thousands of parents in my 30 years’ of practice, I advised Mike and Dana they could respond to CPS on their own without sacrificing their family or escalating the situation. I gave specifics about the CPS interview and identified the things CPS needed to see to conclude the investigation. I also advise the couple they had a right to, and should, record the interview on their phone.
“You guys are in good shape,” I said. “Invite the CPS worker in and politely answer her questions. Keep it to the facts. Don’t guess. Don’t speculate. And do not sign anything or agree to anything without talking to me first.”
About 8pm that night, I checked in on Mike to see how things went during the CPS visit. Here’s what I got, “Yes thank you for checking in!!! So appreciated. It went really well, she kept it short with both children, standard 5 questions and said she has no concerns so it should be closed out in next couple of weeks.”
Case closed.
