Each year on August 12, International Youth Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the resilience, potential, and unique strengths of young people in our communities.
At Integrated Services for Behavioral Health (ISBH), we are committed to helping children, teens, and families thrive by providing compassionate, individualized care where it’s needed most. From prevention and outpatient therapy to intensive home-based services, residential treatment, and OhioRISE care coordination, our teams work every day to help young people build brighter futures.
This International Youth Day, we’re highlighting three stories that demonstrate what can happen when young people, families, providers, schools, and communities work together.
Bella began Intensive Home-Based Therapy (IHBT) when she was just six years old. She had already experienced significant challenges and was at risk of requiring residential placement due to the severity of her behavioral and emotional needs. But Bella also had tremendous resilience.
With support from her family, school, and treatment team, Bella worked to recognize and express her emotions, communicate her needs, trust the adults around her, and develop healthy coping skills. Progress came through patience, consistency, and many small victories.
Today, Bella is more confident, expresses her feelings openly, transitions more successfully, and has built positive relationships with peers and adults. She has returned to activities that once seemed out of reach, including participating in school activities and riding the school bus. She also successfully participated in a community day treatment camp, receiving outstanding reports for her behavior, emotional regulation, and interactions with other children.
Most importantly, Bella is no longer considered at risk for residential placement. She is thriving across the different areas of her life—a reminder that young people should never be defined by their hardest moments.
For Ethan and his family, daily life had become defined by fear and exhaustion. Runaway behaviors, physical and verbal aggression, and property destruction left the entire family feeling overwhelmed.
Building trust took time, but consistency helped change the direction of the family. As Ethan’s mom became more confident in her parenting, Ethan began making meaningful changes of his own. His school, OhioRISE team, community programs, and equine therapy became part of a network of support encouraging his continued progress.
Today, those who work with Ethan describe him as respectful, compassionate, engaged, and committed to making good choices. He continues to use the coping skills he has worked hard to develop, and the relationship between Ethan and his mom continues to grow stronger.
A home that once operated from fear is now being built on connection and hope, demonstrating the change that can happen when young people and families continue showing up, even through the most difficult days.
Another family came to ISBH’s Family and Youth Connections (FYC) program seeking help for a child whose emotional dysregulation was significantly affecting their quality of life, particularly at school. The youth was experiencing anxiety, OCD, and intense emotional outbursts that affected multiple areas of daily life.
Rather than focusing solely on the child, the family worked together using the IFAST (Integrative Family and Systems Treatment) approach. After building trust, the family began trying small, practical strategies designed around their individual goals.
Some changes were simple but meaningful, such as repositioning the child’s bed to reduce nighttime anxiety. The family and provider also developed a worry journal for bedtime. The youth found the strategy so helpful that they began using the journal at school during periods of heightened emotions.
Working alongside the family and school helped reinforce these coping strategies across environments. Over several months, progress also became measurable. The youth’s Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17) score decreased from 25 to 15, providing the family with a tangible reflection of their progress.
Today, the youth experiences fewer periods of heightened emotions and longer periods of emotional regulation. The family has developed a deeper understanding of the child’s triggers, greater confidence in using coping strategies, improved communication, and a stronger family system.
While each of these journeys is different, they share something important: progress becomes possible when young people are surrounded by people who believe in their potential and are willing to work alongside them.
On International Youth Day, ISBH recognizes the voices, dreams, accomplishments, and resilience of young people everywhere. We also celebrate the families, caregivers, schools, providers, and community partners who support them along the way.
We remain committed to meeting young people and families where they are, recognizing their individual strengths, and walking alongside them on their journey toward health and well-being.
Healthy People. Strong Communities.
Copyright Integrated Services for Behavioral Health
