Success Story
It taught me that you just don't quit
“I drive 40 miles one way each day to get here. I wouldn’t do that if I weren’t committed to my work at IJR. ”
—Jaleel Abdul-Adil, PhD, Associate Director, School Age Program, IJR
What excites Jaleel Abdul-Adil about IJR, beyond the intellectual challenge, is that it brings all the power of proven interventions and innovations to families. Families like a young boy and his aunt who showed up at IJR, desperate for help, and had few options left. The boy, abused as a child, had bounced between foster homes, eventually landing with his aunt. He set fires, he pulled knives, he wanted to run away—and he was only seven.
“Everyone had given up. I almost did too,” says Abdul-Adil. “At one point I thought, ‘What am I thinking? I’m rolling with a little axe-murderer.’”
IJR was committed to finding a strategy for this boy and his family. Abdul-Adil and his colleagues combined family therapy with individual therapy. They decreased the number of medications he was taking and used a more up-to-date and tailored regime. They engaged a paternal uncle to spend some time with him. It took some time, but they eventually saw an about-face.
“It taught me, you just don’t quit, and it taught me the importance of an ecological approach—one that takes into account the home, family, and school. It’s the whole story that matters.”
In the end, the aunt left happy. “She had been so mad at the child welfare system, at the world in fact. That changed as he improved. I told her to call if anything breaks loose. I haven’t heard back.”
For Abdul-Adil, his work at IJR is more than just compassion, it’s about accountability. “I’m a participant provider—I have my own kids and I know how tough it is. I am part of the community I serve, part of the culture and the neighborhood; my reputation follows me.”
IJR was committed to finding a strategy for this boy and his family. Abdul-Adil and his colleagues combined family therapy with individual therapy. They decreased the number of medications he was taking and used a more up-to-date and tailored regime. They engaged a paternal uncle to spend some time with him. It took some time, but they eventually saw an about-face.