Acquiring the tools for life

Kyle Roggenkamp has a unique relationship with the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

In his role as human resources director for Ballard Community Services, at the Penn House location, he interacts almost daily with the Bert Nash staff.

He is also a client.

“It’s all about the tools,” Roggenkamp said. “I fully understand that without certain tools I’m not going to progress in my life as far as I want to. “

Recently, when he was at the Bert Nash Center for an appointment, he saw some clients he knows from Penn House. One of them asked him what he was doing there. It gave him an opportunity to talk about the importance of mental health.

“I saw a handful of our clients and they were surprised to see me,” Roggenkamp said. “I just wanted to let them know that everyone needs support. You don’t have to feel like you’re a different type of person because you’re here. It shows you have the guts to reach out to get the tools to move forward in a more healthy way.”

Roggenkamp, 31, said therapy helps him to be better at his job.

“Oh, completely. Burnout is big in our field,” he said. “When I finally said I would give Bert Nash a try, the therapist got to know me. We figured out a way for me to move forward. The key to Bert Nash being successful, to me, is that I felt they were willing to get to know me and help me find my path forward and match my strengths with opportunities to overcome my mental health barriers.”

His therapist, Jason Khomsi, said it’s not uncommon for people in Roggenkamp’s line of work to become overwhelmed.

“That’s a really common thing for people in the helping profession, because they feel like they have to be a role model, that they have to portray strength,” Khomsi said. “But one thing I really appreciate about Kyle is that he fully understands why there is that expectation, but that it is unfair expectation, because we’re all normal people. Everyone knows someone who is affected by some kind of mental health concern, or we all have life stressors or obstacles or need a safe place to help work through how to reorient and build a life in the direction we want to go. In Kyle’s case, that’s what he needed. So we talked about how it’s OK to put yourself as a priority. Once we normalized that, it helped us formulate what his priorities were. He’s made such huge changes. It’s been amazing to watch.”

Roggenkamp knows firsthand it can be perceived as a sign of weakness to ask for help, and there can be a stigma about mental health. He sees it with Penn House clients who are also clients of Bert Nash.

“A lot of times with our case management clients we offer to go with them to the first appointment, to get them in the building,” Roggenkamp said. “We sit there with them to make sure they’re comfortable, because there is a lot of stigma about mental health. I want Bert Nash to be as much of an option for our clients as any other health provider, and not have that stigma be what dictates their interaction. We don’t live in a world that embraces people who have mental health issues. We just put them in a box and move on.”

Roggenkamp doesn’t want to be one of those people.

“I fully understand that without certain tools I’m not going to progress in my life as far as I want to,” he said. “That’s what therapy is to me. I learn how my brain works and it makes things make sense and helps me to deal better with my moments of weakness.”

Therapy also helps Roggenkamp be a better dad. He has a son, Rhett, who is 3.

“It’s all about breaking cycles. I grew up in a very angry, anxiety-driven household,” Roggenkamp said. “I want my son to grow up and not have feelings of I had an angry dad or his anxiety was more important than my dreams. I don’t want him to have that trauma that I faced. I want my son to have at least one role model who is humble enough to say I’m not perfect and to move forward I have to learn. And the more I learn about how to interact with this world, then hopefully my son will have the confidence to feel humble about his issues and know the quicker you get that support, the more apt you are to get over those hurdles.”

Roggenkamp had plenty of hurdles when he was younger. He sees many of the same obstacles in the lives of people he works with at Penn House.

“I’ve been there, man. Several years ago, I was homeless, sleeping under a bridge, smoking meth,” he said. “But I was lucky. I had a social worker who helped me out. I got clean. I went to college. Here I am 12 years later with this opportunity to serve others. I know what it’s like to stand on the backs of great people. That’s what Bert Nash is, it’s an opportunity to stand on the backs of giants, of great people, and have that be a part of your support."