CHILDREN'S PROGRAM |
“I am grateful to WYGC Foundation for supporting the Direct Support Program, which has allowed me to focus on being more than simply my autistic daughter’s caretaker, I can put my energy toward being her mom.”
Kristin Rose, Dedicated Mom
“I have just finished a divorce from an abusive man. My children and I are all using WYGC to heal from the abuse and stress of the divorce. My current income for my household barely covers bills and necessities. The scholarship from the Foundation for karate has changed Johnny’s* life. Karate for Johnny is calming and helps him feel confident. He also learns to deal with his anger in a constructive way. His OCD diagnosis can make him anxious over change, but karate has shown him that change can be very positive. You learn one routine, and the next time it changes as you add another step or move. The scholarships for karate lessons give Johnny a sense of success through honesty and integrity; it is more than an extra-curricular activity, a life activity. He has a bright future. Thank you.”
Johnny's mom, Nancy
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ADULTS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS (SMI) |
“For the past five years, I have received mental health services from the West Yavapai Guidance Clinic. For the first four years, I continued to do self-harming behavior. For the past year, I have received individual therapy from an awesome counselor. I was able to stop taking psychiatric medications six months ago because of the support received from groups, counselors and case managers at the clinic. Every week I continue to grow stronger.”
Anonymous client with SMI
“I met Joseph* several months ago at our Job Club through vocational rehabilitation at WYGC. He was 8 months sober after a 25-year addiction, and he struggled with homelessness and issues of self-esteem. Despite his recovery, he still suffered from psychosis that caused him to hear voices. We would meet to work on a life tool called “identifying and recognizing value,” an exercise used to promote personal growth. As Joseph progressed, the Rehabilitative Service Administration arranged for him to receive vocational certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Joseph is now happy with his current life, and his new employers are even approaching him with opportunities to advance. Recently, he said to me, with tears in his eyes, that he never thought he would be able to achieve stability and lead a productive life.”
WYGC Clinician
When I came to Haddon House (a supervised living facility for adults with serious mental illness that aims to integrate them back into the community), I was in a dark place and basically without hope. I’m 61 years old and have been in and out of jails, rehab centers, hospitals and even on skid row, drinking and drugging for the majority of my life. I have been clean and sober for different lengths of time. I was blessed to have been married for 23 years at one point and that all ended in 2007. My wife died in that year that started a downward spiral with several attempts to end my life. I was very angry and confrontational when I showed up at Haddon House. I didn’t want anything to do with another treatment center. I had heard it all before and wanted to leave and go back to my sorry life. I’d say about the first month at Haddon House, I was very difficult to be around (to put it mildly). But I started praying and attending lots of AA meetings. As a result, little things began to change in my attitude and I became more receptive to what the staff were trying to teach me. Eventually, my life started to take on a new beginning. I participated in lots of groups, and I started being real and getting in touch with my feelings. I didn’t like being pissed off with everything and everyone. A funny thing happened when I became aware of how I reacted to life. Now that I was nicer, other people became nicer toward me. I found that it is so much easier to do the right thing. Anyway I’m out of Haddon House now and I am working toward going to school in Phoenix to learn how to build and repair guitars. Today I love people and trust God. I’m not just waiting around to die. I’m involved and I have hope. That is a miracle and I thank God every day. I have the outlook that every day is a new beginning and it’s an opportunity to see the miracle. Thank you everyone at Haddon House.
Anonymous Graduate of the Haddon House Program
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RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER |
“When I first came here, I was so angry. My anger stemmed from just having to be there and what I had done to get there. Most of all I was angry that I let my family down again. I didn’t know what to expect from being in a place like this, so my anxiety caused me to tear holes in my own knuckles. After I settled down and started participating, I thought about what has happened to me over the years. I finally felt I could beat this addiction and stay on track with the tools that I learned. I have tried many other programs and failed, but this gave me a different perspective of my illness to move forward.”
Anonymous Chemical Dependency Client
“About three years ago, Alice* was a client at Hillside Recovery Center [WYGC’s treatment facility for substance abuse], where I am a counselor. At that time, she had been abusing drugs and alcohol for about 25 years. She hadn’t graduated from high school, had married and divorced when in her early 20’s and raised two children on her own. To support herself, she worked as an escort in Laughlin. My wife and I happened to take a brief vacation in Laughlin and ran into Alice, who is now employed at a local restaurant, where we stopped for a bite to eat. Alice is now living in a small single-wide trailer, located near the AA meetings she attends regularly. It is her own place, and she is living alone for the first time in her life. She told me that she still has to fight her depression, but it is something she is learning to do. “I am happy for the first time in my life and my daughters are so proud of me. I have a grand-baby and I am starting to look for a job where I can start to put away for the future.”
WYGC Staff
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SENIOR PEER PREVENTION PROGRAM |
“Thanks to the Senior Peer Program I was able to be there for George*, a lonely and isolated 91 year old. I helped transition him to a new home, a network of people and resources. I’m satisfied knowing that George can to live out the remainder of his life with friendships.”
Susan Myers, Volunteer Liaison
“Sharon* and I met in 2008, after her husband died. She had health problems and stayed home in bed or in her living room chair. She had been encouraged by her husband to rely on him and was not encouraged to do much for herself except ‘woman’ jobs. She had not driven for several years. Today, after much one-on-one support through Senior Peer, she drives herself around town, is active in the local senior center, and is a member of a church. Sharon dwells on the positives these days. She endures the pain but goes out of her home. She has left her ‘others have to help me’ attitude and enjoys doing for herself, and helping her children.”
Anonymous
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JUMPSTART SHORT-TERM COUNSELING
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When one 51-year-old man entered the “JumpStart” counseling program, he was seeking a strategy for moving forward in his life. He was stuck. At the end of the sessions, his post test score indicated improvement and his own comments were that he “made significant progress in the right direction. The program is great and a huge help.”
Anonymous
Another man, 31, called “JumpStart” due to the depressive symptoms he was experiencing. He knew he needed the guidance of a professional, but he did not have insurance coverage. At the end of his sessions, his post test score indicated significant improvement and he reported feeling “much better.”
Anonymous
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