Holly

 My daughter needs help. I need help. The realization rang through her head again and again. Holly’s mother was at a loss. 

She had tried for many years to help her daughter on her own, but the last few years had been marked by eruptions of Holly’s distressing and dangerous behavior. A stolen car. Disappearing for days at a time. Substance abuse. Lying, stealing, self-injury, and suicide attempts. Holly’s behavior created a tense home environment, and her mother was worried her own relationship with her other two daughters was suffering. She sent Holly to four different residential placements and connected her with community-based mental health services, but none of these efforts were successful. 

The time had come for Holly to receive the help that she so desperately needed. Her behavior had grown increasingly harmful to both herself and her family. She needed help, and she needed it now. Holly’s mother asked for help from her local Department of Social Services, and they placed her at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services (JFBHS). 

At JFBHS, Holly received the support she needed including GED preparation, medication management, individual therapy, family therapy, life skills training, and intensive family therapy. Our campus provided a safe and stable environment for Holly to learn skills to assist with emotional regulation, anger management, substance use education, and relapse prevention skills. While engaging in therapy with our trained mental health professionals, Holly was able to build trusting relationships and thrive in a setting in which she was able to discuss her thoughts and feelings openly. 

After five months of healing, Holly left our campus with her mother, carrying with her the ability and means to manage her mental illness and substance use. JFBHS worked to create an aftercare plan that would assure her the best chance for success. We worked closely with her mother and resources in her hometown to ensure that she would receive substance use recovery and mental health services needed to continue her therapy. Holly remained enrolled in our on-campus school remotely and eventually obtained her GED. 

Through her time at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services, Holly finally found the help she needed, and Holly’s mother found renewed hope. She knew now that Holly was equipped with the tools to manage her mental illness and build a successful future for herself.