Client: ‘Bert Nash has been crucial for me’

His mental health journey hasn’t always been easy, but he’s grateful for the path it has put him on. “It’s been a rough journey at times,” said JG, a Bert Nash Center client.

“But it’s definitely been worth it.”

When JG returned to Lawrence in 2018, he began seeing Cassie Parker, an Adult Services therapist at the Bert Nash Center. They quickly developed a level of trust.

“She always remembers the things we’ve talked about,” JG said. “That really built up a relationship, where I felt like she was present and she wanted to give me the best possible advice she could.”

During the covid pandemic, the opportunity to have virtual therapy sessions with Cassie was beneficial for JG, who lives in rural Douglas County.

“Teletherapy is comfortable for me,” he said. “I do it from the comfort of my home. I feel like it is as beneficial to me as meeting in person.”

Having structure in his life, which includes his therapy and medication appointments at the Bert Nash Center, helps keep JG on a healthy path.

“Bert Nash has been a support structure,” he said. “I had a couple of no-shows and Cassie was very patient with me and we worked through it. I realized I needed that structure in my life. I’ve been going to my appointments regularly ever since.”

Previously for JG, the stigma about mental illness was an obstacle to dealing with his own mental illness.

“A family member had mental illness and I thought I don’t want to be like that. I felt the stigma of mental illness,” JG said. “I saw how people treated this family member, and while I didn’t care about their mental illness, at the same time I cared a lot about what other people thought. That was my biggest fear.”

During the past 10 years, JG has had several hospitalizations because of his mental illness. “I’ve come to realize that if I have too much alone time it can be really bad for me,” he said. JG has also had relationships suffer because of his mental illness.

“I can get paranoid and it can turn into a situation where someone is in crisis and it affects everyone else around them,” he said. “It can really hurt relationships.”

In the past, JG has learned the hard way that deciding on his own to stop taking his medication can lead to problems.

“You can go for a while after you stop taking your medication, but now I know with my diagnosis, the medication provides a buffer to keep me from going paranoid, to keep me from responding to every impulse that I feel,” he said.

JG has been taking better care of his mental health and has every intention of continuing on that path.

“The biggest thing I’m focusing on is how do I not have another hospitalization. Bert Nash has been crucial for me to keep that going,” he said. “I haven’t had a hospitalization in two years, which is good for me. I’ve had moments where I’ve felt anxious but I remind myself of my goals and what Cassie and I have worked on. It’s been a source of peace.”