Former West Allis Focus Depression Recovery adult residential patient shares how the treatment was “a reset”

07/14/23 02:30:pm

“I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child and have struggled with mental health my whole life. I had been in and out of short-term patient care for a few years because of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. I had a family member who received treatment at Rogers and I was at my wits end, so I thought I would give Rogers a try. I wasn’t holding relationships with people and wasn’t able to keep a job. I kept dropping in and out of school. My relationship with my family was really bad and I was starting to drink heavily.

I went to Rogers’ website and called admissions. There was an opening in West Allis, so I went there.

Residential treatment was hard, but it was a reset for me. It gave me the opportunity to change what needed to be changed in my life. It made me have to be accountable for not just things that have happened to me that weren’t my fault, but also for mistakes I’d made and the ways I’d been responding to those situations and getting myself into worse situations.

I think the combination of doing DBT and CBT was really helpful. I think about the tenets of DBT a lot, like, everyone is trying hard and doing their best at any given moment. I use a lot of grounding skills to this day, like 5-4-3-2-1 and TIPP (which stands for Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Paired muscle relaxation.)

My time at Rogers reminded me of the things I enjoyed about life. It reminded me friendship can be nice and it gave me the opportunity to do things sober that I wouldn’t have done otherwise.

While seeking treatment is scary, I don’t think there’s anything scarier than what you feel when you’re alone and not getting any help at all. You meet people who have similar experiences as you and you feel less isolated. You meet therapists and psychiatrists who understand and you learn skills that work for you.” - Former patient, Parker

Keith Gaertner was Parker’s therapist.

“I remember Parker as being very willing to work,” says Keith. “She was encouraging of other patients. She had a good sense of humor and was able to focus and get the work done that was needed. It’s great to hear that Parker is doing well!”