News & Notes

June will be an anniversary for Debra Chapin. Next month she will celebrate her first year as a peer support specialist at the Bert Nash Center. “I knew this program existed,” Chapin said. “I thought what they did was really cool. I thought this is exactly where I want to be.” In January, that’s exactly what happened. Chapin was notified she had passed the certification to become a peer support specialist. In her role, she provides support and shares her personal story of rec

Social work wasn’t originally part of my plan. As an undergraduate, I studied biology and applied to medical school. After I didn’t get in and had graduated from KU, I chose to take a gap year to volunteer in AmeriCorps at a group home for juvenile boys in Kansas City. However, the children I worked with slowly melted my heart and I decided to start working at Bert Nash after my volunteer term ended in 2014. My first position was at Bridges as a psychosocial worker where I le

As a kid growing up in New York City, I saw firsthand the toll the lack of safety and security can have on a person’s mental health. Uncertainty about meeting basic needs makes it near impossible to think about the future, let alone accomplish goals. This uncertainty dominated my childhood, but also shaped my worldview. I knew from a very early age that my path lay in helping people. Watching my brother struggle with his mental health for years, and his subsequent decade of i

I pursued a career in mental health because I have always found great joy and value in helping others. As I got further into my graduate program, I felt myself being drawn more and more toward working with kids and adolescents. I just love their energy. Prior to working at Bert Nash, I worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents. After spending time in a very crisis-driven environment, I became even more passionate about mental health prevention a

People can heal when they are offered a safe space to be vulnerable and authentic. They can heal when they feel truly seen, heard, and validated. I am passionate about helping others heal from past experiences and overcome life traumas, to get past the “stuck.” I strive to be the compassionate therapist that holds space and helps guide through the healing process. Specifically, as a therapist working with children in the school setting, I am passionate about social and emotio

Zsofia had cut herself before. But this time was different. She was really scared. She called a friend and the friend was also scared. So, the friend called 911. “I reached out to a friend when the self-harming incident occurred,” said Zsofia, who is a senior in high school. “I didn’t know what to do, so I called my friend.” When first responders called the house, it was a surprise to Zsofia’s mom, Traci, who was home at the time but wasn’t aware of what had happened. “They w

Growing up, I saw my older brother struggle with a serious mental health condition. As a young adult, he died by suicide. It was at this time that I knew I wanted to learn as much as I could about how to help other individuals and families who are affected by mental illness. Shortly after receiving my master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, I came to Bert Nash as an emergency services clinician with the Access Center. There, I saw first-hand the challenges, struggles, and pai

A poem by Lisa Cyrus When stay-at-home says to me, “no place is open” and frustration wants to set in, my close friend, Gratitude, drops by and reminds me that I have a home to stay in; a peaceful home at that, with all the amenities I need and even enough of my wants. Let’s talk about the longing for in-person contact with my friends and family. It too tries to overwhelm me. And in the nick of time, another close friend, Insight, shows up, and puts things into perspective

I do what I do because … I love it. I love working with adolescents. I love working with their families. I love helping individuals find their strengths when they might feel that they have none. And I love working in a position where the school district and Bert Nash are partners working for the best interest of the students. One of my favorite quotes is, “We can do hard things.” Being a teenager is hard, high school is hard, all of the current “unknowns” due to COVID-19 are

In her short 11 years, Peyten has experienced a lot. She has been bullied at school. A fellow student threatened to kill her. And there have been family issues. “I know more things than an 11-year-old should,” Peyten said. Her mom, Jessi Benson, said Peyten, who is a fifth-grader, is very mature for her age. “I have to be the grownup sometimes,” Peyten said. It used to be that Peyten would keep her feelings bottled up inside. Then they would eventually boil over in fits of an

I believe that change is possible because I’ve experienced it myself, and I enjoy being a therapist because it allows me to be a part of the changes my clients create for themselves. When I was 26 years old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was an extremely overwhelming experience and I was hit with many changes at a rapid pace. As I went through treatment, anxiety and depression became more overwhelming for me. I also experienced medical trauma, feared the unknown asso

Anna noticed that her daughter, Izzie, wasn’t acting like herself. She knew Izzie was struggling. Anna also knew Izzie needed help. That’s when she brought Izzie to Bert Nash. That was February 2018. “The kid you see sitting here now is not the kid who was sitting there when we initially started coming to Bert Nash,” Anna said. “She’s really improved on just owning her part, which is a drastic step from where she came from.” When Izzie, who is a freshman in high school, first