Former Sheboygan patient shares how coping skills are helping him handle life’s challenges

The goal of treatment is for patients to leave with skills to manage their mental health in their everyday lives. A former Sheboygan patient recently shared how those skills are making a meaningful difference. 

“I spent time at Rogers Behavioral Health to strengthen my mental health and build practical coping skills for managing stress and intense emotions. During that time, I learned and practiced several evidence-based strategies used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These include skills like STOP for pausing before reacting, TIPP for quickly regulating the body during high stress, PMR (progressive muscle relaxation) for reducing physical tension, and Radical Acceptance for working through difficult situations without escalating them. I also practiced daily mindfulness and emotional regulation techniques. The experience helped me develop healthier ways to respond to challenges, improve self-awareness, and maintain balance in everyday life.” ~ Samuel 

A member of Samuel’s treatment team shared their reaction to his experience in treatment. 

“I felt happy that he seemed to take away positive experiences from treatment and that we were able to help provide support for him to be able to effectively practice the skills that he learned,” says Samantha  Bartkowiak, LPC-IT. “Seeing that he has benefited from treatment shows me that what I’m doing is helpful, and that even though we have tough days at this job, people still can benefit from treatment. It reminds us that us that we make a difference. I was able to practice patience and compassion. He was able to work on the skills, however, he needed a little bit of time to process and learn them. Instead of rushing, we were able to work through the skills and talk through different scenarios of ways to practice them.”