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If
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please call:
Adult Crisis
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Child Crisis
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Success
Stories
Sara
Sara
and her parents never got along very well. She would often fight
with them, pull her hair out, bite, and destroy items around the
house. Her parents were at a loss; they eventually sought the help
of a therapist.
With
the help of therapy, Sara is now developing a mutually respectful
and trusting relationship with her parents, and everyone feels more
satisfied with their relationships. She is more willing to ask their
advice and utilize the knowledge they have given her. She is also
more accepting of the limits her parents place upon her. As a result,
the family life has improved.
Jason
Jason
has come a long way in six short months. He was physically and mental
abused by his biological mother before she abandoned him, and as
a result, he learned to respond to people the way his mother had
to him. He would cuss, yell, stomp, bite, hit, and kick himself
and others when he did not get his way. His inappropriate behaviors
were making him out of control. Now that Jason has been in treatment,
his attitudes and behaviors have changed.
Jason
now explores his anger towards his biological mother and is learning
to express his feelings in appropriate ways. He has not had an outburst
in almost a month now, and things are looking brighter with his
adoptive parents. He and his new parents are beginning to bond.
With more hard work and commitment, Jason will be able to overcome
his anger and work towards a new life.
Fred
When
I was at my lowest point, my father died, in my home, from prostate
cancer, and my mother was recuperating, in a nursing home, from
a broken knee, advanced dementia, and decreased verbal skills. I
was left alone to handle everything. Instead of asking my siblings
for help, I tried to pay all the bills from my father’s funeral
and my mother’s nursing home with a quickly depleting bank
account. At the lowest point, when the money was nearly gone, I
figured that instead of asking for help, I would do away with myself
and leave all my assets to be sold to pay the bills. I tired to
commit suicide with carbon monoxide, hanging, electrocution, and
poisoning. I finally called for help when none of these worked,
and I found myself sitting with a 357 Magnum in my mouth.
From
the therapy I have received, I have learned that I was not responsible
for, and could not have altered, any of the circumstances that led
to my depression. Instead of cocooning myself away, I should have
sought help sooner. I thought that by asking for help, I would seem
like less of a person; I was wrong. I now understand that if I had
asked for help, instead of carrying all these responsibilities,
things would not have escalated to the point they reached.
Everyone
needs help, and no one should bottle up his or her feelings. The
therapist was a person I could feel comfortable with. I could express
my feelings without fear of being judged; it was like talking to
a close friend. These sessions have made me look at myself differently
and have encouraged me to reenter the work force, where I will once
again feel useful and productive. I am getting out to meet people
and am keeping in touch with my siblings. I have gathered a support
system around me and am beginning to unload some of my emotional
baggage, at least a few of the big trunks. All in all, I feel that
coming to counseling was one of the best things that happened to
me, especially compared to the other possible outcome.
JL
I
have been in therapy for eighteen months and would like to tell
you what has become better since then.
I am sober. I can now see anger issues as they occur, put these
issues in perspective and react to those issues in a productive
manner. Warning signs with alcohol and anger often work out with
little or no conscientious action. My anxiety levels have dropped
to a point of maneuverability in my daily affairs. The lower anxiety
has allowed me to make rational decisions as opposed to knee jerk
reactions.
2615 Edwards / Alton, IL
62002 / phone: (618) 462-2331 / fax: (618) 462-2504
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