Out of the darkness comes hope

Mariah can remember feeling very depressed when she was in grade school but it was not something she talked to anyone about. However, when she was 17, her depression was so severe she attempted suicide- twice. After her second attempt, she was hospitalized at Stormont Vail in Topeka. Following her hospital release, she was referred to the Bert Nash Center by her doctor.

“My emotions were out of control and they overwhelmed me. I knew what was happening to me but I didn’t know why or how to change it,” Mariah remarked. “Then I entered the adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program at Bert Nash and I learned how to deal with my emotions.”

DBT taught Mariah the skills she needed, how to process the emotions and what to do when they became overwhelming. That was four years ago. Since then, Mariah graduated from high school, joined AmeriCorps and went to California to work for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Program. As she worked with displaced individuals (she helped victims of the San Diego wildfires), she realized she really enjoys helping others.

Because of “how much Bert Nash helped me, when I finished with my year at AmeriCorps, I decided to come back to Lawrence and pursue a degree in psychology at KU,” Mariah said. “After my experience working with displaced persons, I felt I could contribute at Bert Nash. I applied for a psychosocial position and got it.”

Now Mariah helps individuals suffering from mental illness cope with the challenges of everyday life. “My training in DBT has really helped me relate to my clients. I am so glad that I have this perspective and am happy to be working at Bert Nash.”