The person that I am now is due largely to Boley
Centers.Boley has given me the
opportunity to grow into a well-grounded person.The most unique part about the change is that
it is not on just one level.The entire
staff at Boley played key and vital parts in the change that has
transpired.The staff gave me the medium
to be able to see the behaviors I was displaying and allowed me to reach for
obtainable positive behavior changes.
Mentally I have changed since being at Boley.I have gotten more of a handle on the disease
concept of my addiction.I can also view
my mental illness as just being what it is - - a disease.I don’t view myself as being crazy
anymore.The growth has given me the
ability to expand on my past views of mental illness and addiction.
Since the beginning of my being a consumer at Boley, they
have allowed for me to grow spiritually.I have a church that I attend on a regular basis.I was going through something a few months
ago where my church had moved and I was attending different churches.Boley staff members helped me go through
that, because they all knew that my spirituality is very important to me and
vital to my recovery and ongoing support.
There has been some physical progress that I have made, but
it has not been as promising as I had hoped.I am more careful as to what, when, why and how much I eat now.Since coming to Boley I am more aware of my overall
health.My high blood pressure is now
manageable and my cholesterol is more within limits.I smoked when I came to Boley but by the
grace of God, I’ve stopped.Since
stopping, I use my asthma inhalers much less.So in light of all of those changes, my physical progress is progressing.
People actually know who I am at meetings.Boley gave me the introduction to meet people
on a regular basis; I took advantage of it and put my hand out to meet
people.I have become much more social and
have gotten involved with people who are making changes at Boley.Since coming to Boley I have become more sure
of myself and I now have a social network.
Boley truly has helped me when it comes to my education
too.Even though it has been a long time
since I had been to school, I have gone back to college.Boley provided me with the encouragement to
do all of this.
Clive's Story
For more than 15 years, Clive heard voices. He was not taking his prescribed medication; instead self-medicating through his use of drugs and alcohol. He regularly found himself in and out of the hospital and frequently felt suicidal. Simply put, his schizophrenia overtook his life.
Seven years ago at a time when Clive was pretty down and out, he was baker-acted and admitted to St. Anthony’s hospital where he met Dr. Randall Hemsath. While there, Dr. Hemsath helped him get appropriate services for his illness and a temporary stay at PEMHS. Soon after, he was introduced to Boley Centers’ FACT Team. The FACT Team utilizes a multi-disciplinary team approach, providing intensive community-based services and maintaining close contact with the men and women served. The FACT Team is available 24-hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year.
At first Clive did well on the FACT Team but then he experienced a setback and went back to drinking. Staff worked with him to pick up the pieces and get back on track. They helped him to gain admission to Progressive Health Center in Louisiana where he stayed for three months to get help with his alcohol addiction.
With the support of the FACT Team and his sister, he has remained alcohol-free for one year, out of the hospital for three years and off of drugs for five years. Six months free is a common goal for many people; Clive has surpassed this. This marks tremendous success for him.
For six years Clive has maintained an apartment in the community and in a few short weeks, he will be moving to one of Boley Centers’ permanent housing facilities, Forest Meadows Apartments. Clive is looking forward to this.
Now on newer medication, Clive has not heard voices for over three years – that is a first for him and he is enjoying that freedom. He would like to go back to working part-time for a local brake repair shop. In the meantime, Clive is focusing on his upcoming move, meets with staff from the FACT Team weekly and enjoys creating artwork and spending time with friends.
Bill's Story
Bill has a history in management – from store manager to
Program Director to Director of Social Services – he has held them all.He
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from
EckerdCollege
and has had to call on that knowledge often in his life.He has departed the world of management and now
spends time holding small workshops on wellness, stress management and
meditation - - this is his passion.
His workshops run twice a week for the men and women who
live in
BoleyCenters’ Ruth Mosher and Bessie Boley
Apartments.These are permanent,
supported housing facilities for individuals with mental illnesses.He describes his sessions with these men and
women as psycho-educational groups where learning and individual progress is
the goal.Bill treats his participants
as the intelligent men and women that they are.He respects their ability to understand and participate and recognizes
that they have the added stress in life of a mental illness.Like any other major illness it can be a
struggle at times to manage, but Bill knows that does not define who they are.
About two years ago, Bill was awarded one of several Residential
Staff of the Year awards at Boley Centers’ Annual Staff Recognition
Dinner.He is proud of this and what he
does.His job has been rewarding – he
has seen fear overcome, the gained ability to set personal boundaries and the
transition from feeling afraid to feeling self-confidence.He has seen this in his participants and he
has seen this in himself, for like them, he too has a major mental
illness.There are a lot of
misconceptions about mental illnesses and the people who have them.Bill defies the stereotypes – he is articulate,
capable, engaged and very bright and why shouldn’t he be?
Bill’s diagnosis of major depression came about 25 years ago.The pattern his life seemed to follow was
that he would obtain and hold an important position, earn a good income and
then it would all crumble.Mental
illnesses tend to be cyclic and like other chronic illnesses, they require medical
attention.He struggled financially
since his illness made it hard for him to maintain employment at times.He eventually obtained disability benefits which
provided him with some relief.Fast
forward ten or 15 years and Bill’s diagnosis was revised to Bipolar Disorder.That is what Bill is treated for today and he
credits Boley’s Dr. Randolph Hemsath with helping him manage his illness so
well.
He eventually contacted the Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation and was sent to Boley Centers for vocational evaluation and job coaching.There he met Brenda Peters who
helped him to obtain his job at the agency.He is in what is called a peer position – Boley Centers has nine of
them.Job duties within peer positions
vary, but all are part-time and directly helping the men and women served by
Boley Centers.
Bill’s role as a Recovery Coach has certainly made a
difference for those attending his sessions, but perhaps even more importantly;
they have given him a sense of purpose.Boley Centers has given him this chance.Bill cites his medication, therapy and hard work as major factors in his
progress.Hands down though, his job has
given him the biggest boost in his progress toward regaining his self-esteem
and the realization that his mental illness is only one facet of who he really
is.
Jesse's Story
Jesse knows what it is like to be Baker Acted against his
will.He knows what it feels like to be
awake for nights on end while trying to juggle school, work and a relationship.Since the age of 18, Jesse has been in and
out of the hospital and coping with bouts of mania as a result of his mental
illness – Bipolar Disorder with psychotic features.Like other illnesses, his has impacted his
life and affected those around him, causing him at one point to lose his car,
his job and his optimism.
At 18, Jesse should have been enjoying his transition into
adulthood, going to college and working toward his dreams for the future.Instead he was struggling to make ends meet while
trying to keep his illness under control.With the help of Boley Centers staff, he was able to access the appropriate
services – psychiatric care, medication management, day treatment, housing and
disability benefits.He moved into the Oaks Apartments which is a transitional housing program where residents are
provided with skills development and support to prepare to reintegrate in the
community and maintain more permanent housing of their choice.He stayed there for 18 months, became very
physically active, often making the four-mile round trip walk to day treatment
and back, went back to college to earn his Associate’s degree and started to
regain some control over his life.From
there Jesse moved into a private apartment, obtained a part-time job at Target and
completed his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from
St. PetersburgCollege.
When Jesse left the protected environment of the Oaks, he
started receiving services from the FACT Team at Boley Centers.FACT is an acronym for Florida Assertive
Community Treatment.FACT is a
multi-disciplinary treatment team made up of registered nurses, mental health
counselors, social workers, vocational specialists, recovery coaches and a
psychiatrist.The team works closely
with people who have been severely affected by mental illness, resulting in
frequent or prolonged hospitalization or incarceration.Services are provided seven days a week in
each person’s living, learning or working environment.The FACT Team’s objective is to provide any
and all rehabilitation services, treatment and support necessary to assist
individuals in reaching their individual recovery goals.
Individuals like Jesse are the reason FACT Teams exist.Since the services are provided outside of a
traditional hospital setting, people are able to receive intensive care and
close monitoring while maintaining other aspects of their lives.In Jesse’s case, he was able to finish his
undergraduate degree – a milestone that moved him one step closer to his
lifelong dream of becoming a doctor of Chiropractic Medicine.
Now at the age of 30, Jesse has entered into
chiropracticschool
just outside of
Atlanta,
Georgia.With the help of the staff at Boley Centers,
he has been setup with appropriate services to help him manage his medication,
receive psychiatric treatment and maintain his illness.His tenacity, ambition and the
community-based treatment he received at Boley Centers have been a winning
formula to help Jesse to move one step closer to his dreams.
Charles' Story
Twelve and a half years ago I was diagnosed with a mental
illness and it changed the course of my life.I experienced a loss of myself and the mental illness became my
identity.My role in life was a client
of the mental health system.My own
shame, fear and lack of confidence kept me hopelessly trapped within
myself.Add to that the pressures of
surviving within my family and community where the sting of my mental illness
and my fear painted a blank picture of the life that lay ahead.
Years ago, I knew nothing about recovery.I measured my success in terms of the length
of time I spent out of the hospital or a treatment facility and how long I was
able to maintain my own place and not live on the street.The big turning point came in my life when I
moved into the Safe Haven.The staff
there saw something in me beyond my illness.They encouraged me to disclose my dreams and wishes through the process
of support, motivation and self-advocacy.That along with my own determination was the beginning of my recovery.
Unlike 12 ½ years ago, I now use the word recovery.Recovery has helped me to refocus my
life.It has put my illness into
perspective for me.I can now recognize
my other roles of a son, a dad and a friend.Most importantly, the Safe Haven has given me hope – believable hope for
a future I can design myself.This hope
is fostered by my spirituality and a strong support system which includes my
peers, family members and mental health professionals.I feel better about myself today and am
comfortable with who I am.
I am now out of the victim role and able to transcend the
experience I had.I am finally starting
to take control of my life.I can see
the light at the end of the tunnel and I hope to reach it – I think it is possible
with a lot of hard work.
Recovery has normalized my life.It has been a catalyst for me to expand my
own life beyond the drinking world.For
two years now I have been on the path of recovery and I am not giving in.I can announce with pride that while I am not
where I want to be yet and I am not sure where I am going, I thank God that I
and not where I was.
e's Story