I had the amazing opportunity of visiting and helping at a mental care facility that my brother-in-law works at in Omaha, NE. I was visiting them for the weekend for my niece's baby blessing, and decided to ask my brother-in-law if I could somehow observe in the mental facility without intruding or making the patients feel uncomfortable. We decided that I would sign the paperwork to allow me to help during art therapy time at this facility. I have to keep patient confidentiality and I can't discuss full details of what mental conditions the patients were in. But I can talk about how much this experience impacted me.
While visiting with these patients, I was able to participate in art therapy with them. They told me that they have classes throughout the day that help in self-esteem, coping methods, therapy strategies and much more. Some of them were there by choice, some of them were there after suicide attempts or mental health episodes. All of them were there for a minimum of one week, working with the nurses and therapists to strategize how to handle the 'outside world' again after leaving the care facility. They didn't have phones, internet access or anything like that. There was a phone by the front desk where patients could talk to their immediate family if they wanted. Many of them didn't wish to speak to their family as their families were part of the reason they were struggling. All of the patients were teenagers, some as young as 12.
There's quite a big stereotype that goes along with these mental facilities. Many people think these facilities are filled with crazy people who are constantly twitching and talking to themselves. But in reality, these patients are real people. They are normal, high school and middle school students who are struggling and needed a new form of help. They needed to step away from the world and the stresses in their life to take a deep breath and reevaluate how to cope with any issues they were struggling with. They didn't feel like the majority culture, these kids. They felt outcasted because they were struggling with mental illnesses that their classmates and friends didn't understand. They couldn't "just choose to be happy", they couldn't flip a switch and get rid of their anxiety. Their mental illnesses were debilitating, and they were sick of not being as normal as their friends and family. They needed a place to go where they could feel normal, where they could work through their illnesses and issues with a group of peers who understood and supported them. I have never witnessed a group of strangers show so much support to each other than I did while watching and interacting with these patients. They cared about each other, and they wanted to see each other succeed. They understood and sympathized with what the other patients were feeling and going through. It was a community of perfect strangers, who were struggling themselves but were determined after participating in such a supportive environment.
The thing that makes this facility special, in my opinion, is how they meet the needs of each individual who comes. They don't give everyone the exact same treatments and coping strategies. They are equitable, and give every patient the means they need personally. They made sure each patient got the care and help that they needed as an individual, for their individual circumstance. They made the patients feel important, and let them know that they were needed. They prepared each individual so that they would be able to cope with the world once they left the facility. Each patient left knowing exactly what they needed to do when they began struggling again, all because the nurses made such a big effort to care for them as individuals rather than as a group.
This experience was life changing, as I listened to the stories of the patients. And as I realized what an amazing tool this facility is for those who struggle with mental health. Having facilities like this one in communities around the world is such an important thing. People with mental illnesses need treatment and help, just the same as anyone with a broken arm. It's so important to have specialists like the nurses at this facility who specialize in helping those with mental illnesses. It's even more important to have specialists who know how to help teens with mental illnesses, and the nurses at this facility were just that. They were amazing and knew exactly how to help. This comforts me knowing that there are facilities that are made to help anyone, of any age who are struggling.
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