The Trouble with Eli

Eli is 12 years old and lives with his mother and stepfather. Eli also has a sister who is 7. He gets in trouble at school a lot. Eli has been suspended for smoking in the bathroom at school and starting a fire in the trash bin. Eli’s mom experienced depression when he was young, and she left Eli and his infant sister at home with his grandparents for 3 months while she took a vacation in the Caribbean. When his mom returned, she was very depressed and did not spend much time with Eli or his sister.

Eli’s grandparents were busy, so he often had to take on the caregiver role for his younger sister. Eli’s mom eventually remarried. Life has been stable for a while, but Eli’s stepfather can be demanding. Eli often feels like he can never please him. He wants to spend time with his mom and stepfather, but he finds it difficult to capture their attention in positive ways and admits that sometimes it is easier to behave negatively to get attention. Eli’s mom and stepfather think he’s trying to be difficult and cannot understand why Eli just won’t behave.