News & Notes

Diane Werner has been doing case management work at the Bert Nash Center for 22 years. And no two days have been the same. Which is one of the many things she has liked about the job.“ There’s no typical day,” Werner said. “It varies from day to day. It’s never dull.” Werner’s last day at Bert Nash is June 18. She’s moving on to become a residential housing specialist for HOPE House (a housing program for people who are recovering from addiction) and working with the Lawrence

When Susan Murphy, a Bert Nash peer support specialist, talks about her client, who chose to be identified by her initials KT, she couldn’t be prouder. “The progress she has made, it makes it all worthwhile, to see the results, to see her happy,” Murphy said. As a peer support specialist, Murphy provides support and shares her personal recovery story with others, like KT, who have a mental illness and are working on their own recovery. KT has been a Bert Nash client for many

Beth Ankerholz may be a short-timer — her last day at the Bert Nash Center will be Aug. 2. But she sure can’t be accused of mailing it in. Even as Ankerholz gets closer to that final day, she continues to work just as hard as she has done for the past 30 years. She does whatever is required to meet the needs of the Center. “I don’t know how to be any other way,” said the Bert Nash IT director. “I just can’t do it. It’s not me. There’s too much to do.” Ankerholz will retire af

The Golden Years – those years after retirement when a person is supposed to be enjoying life – aren’t always so golden. In fact, they can be pretty dark. To be honest, those so-called “golden years” sometimes become the most boring time of life. There is a reason why youth is known to be a blessing. When you are young, you are perhaps more energetic, more lively, more desired, and easily conversed with. It is the time when people often think about starting a new life with a

For Justyn Hosman, March 14 will always stand out in his mind. But standing, at some point in the future, will become something he can no longer do. Hosman, a member of the Bert Nash Center’s Homeless Outreach Team, was told on March 14 that he has ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. There is no cure; the muscle degenerating disease is eventually fatal. The life expectancy for someone with ALS is two to five years. The diagnosis came after an EMG (Electromyography) at the Universit

As the parent of an autistic child, Kim Turner has had her own struggles. Which makes her really good at her job. Turner is a parent support specialist for the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, where she works with parents of children who are receiving mental health services. “It helps to be a parent and it helps to have a child who has had some special needs,” Turner said. “That really lends itself to being able to support other people. I’m able to share from my own

Patrick Kelly will be the first to admit he’s not the touchy-feely type. “In my family, we weren’t huggers,” Patrick said. “We sat around and read books and tried to outsmart each other.” But Patrick, who is director of the Lawrence College and Career Center and is a Douglas County commissioner, has come a long way in his emotional journey. A starting point for him was when his step-daughter, who was in high school at the time, was struggling. “We were at a complete loss,” sa

When Rachel and Travis Bowlin’s youngest son, Gabe, was in kindergarten, they began to hear about problems at school. “Gabe started struggling the second half of kindergarten,” Rachel said. “He was not doing well in school. Gabe is very intelligent, but he just couldn’t conform to the school atmosphere. He was really explosive. I was getting notes from school about his behavior. It was a struggle. That’s when we started looking for help.” That’s when they started coming to th

“I’ve had struggles my whole life, but I’ve always been proactive to get myself the help I needed,” he said. And when he needed help, he found it at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. Mecca has been receiving mental health services for most of his life. When he moved to Lawrence about six years ago, he started coming to Bert Nash. “I’m not sure how I heard about Bert Nash, but I was going through some crisis in my life and I decided I need to focus on my mental hea

When Debbie Wise found out about the speech her daughter Mallory gave for a class last year, she was surprised. And proud. “I had no idea she was doing the speech until a couple of weeks after she did it. I was talking to her teacher who said she did an amazing job,” Debbie said. Students had been assigned to give a speech about a health topic. Mallory decided to talk about eating disorders. It was the first time she had talked publicly about the issue. “The final line of her

Mary Brand comes from a big family. She is one of nine siblings. “Because I’m right in the middle, I tell them I am the most stable,” she said. “And that makes them laugh.” Even though Brand has a mental illness, she still has her sense of humor. “When people make the comment, you’re crazy, I’m like, I know I am. I have the papers to prove it,” Brand said. “Humor is a coping mechanism for me. It helps me to keep things on the lighter side.” Brand doesn’t allow her mental illn

Anna Oliver’s introduction to the Bert Nash Center came at the right time. That was three and a half years ago. “There was a family member who was going through some issues, so that’s the reason I got involved with Bert Nash,” Oliver said. That personal connection motivated Oliver to get involved with Bert Nash. She’s been a dedicated Bert Nash Ambassador volunteer ever since. “It really opened my eyes that it was OK to talk about mental health,” Oliver said. Her sister-in-la

Bert Nash Center was honored and proud to have the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team meet with Steve Maceli, Brandon Eisman, and Tasha Foster for a check presentation and to share how the $10,000 prize Steve earned as the winning contestant in the Transformations Charity Gala 2019 will impact students and families for years to come. WRAP is a Bert Nash school-based mental health program where — working in partnership with Lawrence and Eudora Public Sc

Jeremy Auman has battled depression most of his life. Or, as he said, “for always.” His great-aunt and grandmother did as well. They also had bipolar disorder, though back then it was called a nervous breakdown, he said. The way people reacted toward his great-aunt and grandmother made an impression on Auman. “I saw the stigma that they had to deal with,” he said. Auman, who has bipolar disorder, has experienced the stigma about mental illness himself. He decided to do someth

Starting next month, Bert Nash and the KU Public Management Center will enhance their partnership. The community mental health center and the Public Management Center (PMC) have developed a plan for PMC to provide ongoing leadership training for Bert Nash supervisors. The first training session will be in April at the Center. “Our board and our leadership team are very enthusiastic about this partnership with the Public Management Center,” said Bert Nash HR Director Scott Cri

What do you love about your job? I truly love spending time with the clients out in the community. It doesn’t get old. I’ve been in this field for over 25 years, 11 at Bert Nash. I have daily contact with clients. I love knowing what is going on with them and keeping up with them. What has been the highlight for you during your time at Bert Nash? It sounds like a cliché, but it truly has been seeing the progress the clients have made. I log hundreds of miles a week transport

Joe Douglas likes being part of a team. That’s been one of his favorite things about working at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. Douglas, a psychiatrist in Adult Services, who has been part of the Center’s medical staff since 2001, is retiring this month after a nearly 50-year career in the mental health field. “I enjoy the collaboration and people supporting each other,” Douglas said. “I enjoy working with a multifaceted, multitalented staff. That’s one of the t

John Sebelius believes in the healing power of art. He’s seen it happen. Sebelius, a Lawrence artist, has worked with veterans as part of the Stress Disorder Treatment Program at the Colmery-O’Neil VA Center in Topeka, teaching art to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use and other challenges. He currently serves as Artist-In-Residence at Cofrin-Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment at the University of Kansas. “Art is

What do you love most about your job? I love working with people. I have always felt joy from serving others, empowering them and helping them meet their goals. What have been some of the highlights for you during your time here? I have really enjoyed working with the children and families. I have also had the pleasure of working with wonderful co-workers who have encouraged and supported me. I know families often come to us when life circumstances are difficult. I hope to g

It takes a lot of people to keep things running smoothly, they deal with people of all kinds, oftentimes they’re sad or moody. An absolute favorite I always see when walking through the door, is a perky, encouraging, spitfire gal who’s been there a long time before. Professional as this woman is, she always finds time to care, people watch her every day, to this she’s unaware. The world would say that we are broke, no fix in sight to see, but Carole connects us to all that’