Mental Health
PAWS Program
PAWS Program
Jerry Hendrick
Junior at Three Rivers High
I have known the PAWS Clinic all my life. I was part of the family care clinic next to them when I was younger. I know all the faces of the Paws clinic. They have helped me with pretty much everything.
When I first started coming, I was on all sorts of different ADHD meds, suffered anxiety and I was depressed. It turned me into a robot. The clinic helped me find my own voice and become my own person. The program they have is amazing. They make you feel like you have control of your own healthcare as an adult. They provide you with a level of independence; you go to your appointments, you schedule them, and they get you from the schools.
When I first used the clinic, I was going through a lot. I had an abusive stepfather who was an alcoholic. The therapist helped me get through that and they never cease to amaze me. Staff are willing to go the extra mile.
When you walk into another clinic, you feel like a citizen walking into a building of professional doctors. At PAWs, you are surrounded by friends and people who care about your health and want to see you walking on both legs. They aren’t just there to get their paycheck.
My whole life, people came and left. Everyone was temporary. My father left me when I was 3 years old. I arrived at PAWs as an angry kid who thought the world hated him. They got me out of that mindset. I owe everything I have to the clinic for getting me out of that mindset. It’s the only constant I have known in my life.
Aiden
Durand School Wellness Program
Aiden was referred by the middle school counselor to the School Wellness Program due to anxiety surrounding eating at school. Aiden’s mother explained to the Mental Health Counselor that at the age of 6 Aiden had a traumatic experience choking on a piece of hard candy that completely cut off his airway. His mother, using the Heimlich procedure was able to clear his airway. It had been life threatening for Aiden. The trauma soon led to Aiden becoming reluctant to swallow and then developed into a significant eating problem. Aiden who was slight in build began losing weight.
After multiple tests with multiple specialists Aiden’s pediatrician told his parents there were no medical or physiological reasons for his discomfort in swallowing. His difficulty swallowing was preventing him from eating a full diet at school and at home. Mealtimes with his family and with his classmates at school were too much for him to cope with. Medication prescribed to reduce anxiety was helpful. In time, his symptoms reemerged, and medicine was increased. His pediatrician referred him to outpatient therapy and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was not making progress. Aiden wanted to be able to be at school and not have his anxiety prevent him from joining in with the other students.
The SWP mental health counselor saw Aiden and his mother separately and together to develop a plan of service. A research based collaborative problem-solving approach was used. Aiden’s mother was coached in a process of including Aiden in solving his problem. A plan was created. The plan included SWP mental health counseling with goals for psychoeducation focused on anxiety and coping strategies for handling it. In addition, the plan included Aiden talking with the SWP nurse about his difficulty swallowing. Two meetings were arranged by the SWP counselor with the speech and language therapist at the school for Aiden to learn about swallowing and choking. Supported by the SWP counselor Aiden let the school lunchroom aides know what his concerns were, and he learned they were trained and ready if any problem occurred.
“I was very happy with how kind and caring the Durand Wellness Center was to me. Before I saw Mr. Bromley, I was very uncomfortable while eating. I had mostly a liquid-based diet and was scared to eat solid food because I would choke again. After I began treatment, they made it so I felt comfortable eating at school because I always knew if I had a problem they would help me. I now feel a lot more comfortable eating at school. I go out to dinner with my family and eat out in public thanks to the Durand Wellness Center.” – Aiden
The Health Center Helped Me Overcome My Fears
Jameson Maitland
Northwest Community Health Center
Terror hit me while watching my friends climb up to the zip-line platform. Frozen with tears running down my face, I turned to stone. Being used to fits of anxiety since birth, I had it 24 hours, 7 days a week now.
Coming to the Northwest School-Based Health Center was the best thing that could have happened. It was getting close to needing a physical and booster shots. I knew, I didn’t want to go back to my old doctor that made me very uncomfortable, so my mom suggested a visit to the clinic at the school.
Fear overwhelmed me. My first though was when we entered the building I’m going to die. And I don’t want any shots! My lungs tightened and it was hard to breathe.
When we arrived, we were greeted with caring faces that explained each step and what they would be doing. The staff members each introduced themselves by name and their job title. While the nurses were getting my shots ready, my mom tried to calm me down and explain that I worry. Then they told us about the therapist who works there and could help me.
Feeling like a little mouse, my therapist was exactly what I needed. The more I saw her, the more comfortable she made me feel and the more skills she taught me to handle scary problems.
Also, it was a great feeling to have everyone at the clinic knows me by my name. I’m working to be in the here and now. Taking one step at a time. The therapist calls it “being mindful about your surrounding and your 5 senses.” I know that if I want to change things, I have the skills to do so. And I am grateful for her help and support. Here I come zip-line!!!