Boley Centers, Inc.

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 Eckerd College 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 Boley Centers’ 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. Petersburg College.

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 chiropractic school 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.