Ao’s Story
Ao, Japanese meaning “Blue” and Shiro, Japanese meaning “White”
Ao, a 6-year-old, entered therapy after experiencing severe trauma from witnessing gun violence, exposure to domestic violence, and enduring family instability. The impact of these events showed up in his body, behavior, and emotional world. He experienced emotional regression, intense meltdowns during transitions, vivid nightmares, severe separation anxiety from his mom, Shiro.
In the beginning, Ao was incredibly shy and hesitant to separate from Shiro. Through play therapy and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), he gradually learned to express emotions, cope with anxiety, and regain a sense of safety.
Today, Ao lives in a stable environment, sleeps independently, and demonstrates resilience and emotional growth.
Community support helps children like Ao—who’ve faced unimaginable trauma—find safety, healing, and resilience through therapy and family support. Your donation delivers effective trauma-informed care to families like theirs.
