January 27, 2025

After the loss of my father, and many other issues that I was not able to cope with on my own, I went into a deep depression. After several years of dealing with my depression on my own, and a couple of years dealing with it with pharmacological and therapeutic help, I finally came to the understanding that I needed to take drastic measures. So, I checked into a mental health rehab center in Fort Meyers, FL.

I spent thirty-two days in a residential facility called Prisma Recovery. After that I was sent to a PHP, or partial hospitalization program, in Lake Worth, FL. After another twenty-eight days, I was discharged to an IOP, or intensive outpatient program, in Tampa, FL. I can now stay at my own home and do my own thing for the majority of the day, then I drive from Spring Hill to Tampa, about a 45 minute drive, for three hours of group therapy, with individual therapy once a week.

At all of these programs I have learned coping skills, been able to talk about my traumas, and I am working through my life's struggles. I am better able to survive and thrive, I have become much happier, and I can take better care of myself and my two children. It has been a very long and strenuous journey, but I am on the path to being a better me. This has been thanks to an adjustment in medication, therapy, and learning about mental health and how to cope.