Editor’s Note: Our Faces of Carson feature shares experiences from the perspective of Behavioral Health Network’s caregivers and program directors in helping individuals and families in our community.
Before she began using BHN’s services, Sam felt as if she was trapped in a black hole— “I was an addict, and I felt like my life was over.” However, once she was introduced to BHN The Carson Center’s Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) program, Sam was given the tools and assistance she needed to turn her life around.
The ACCS program helped Sam take control over her life by coordinating her mental health care and addiction recovery plan and providing her with a care team to aid her through her recovery. Sam says the support of her care team—particularly her case worker, Amy Gendron— was a key part of her ability to maintain sobriety. “Amy was always there for support, and to talk me through a lot of things,” Sam says, her voice strained with emotion. “The staff here has been amazing to me.”
After being assaulted last year, Sam had difficulty staying sober as she struggled with the trauma caused by the assault. However, Sam says her care team went above and beyond to help her avoid falling back into her alcohol addiction. They helped her remain in the community as much as possible during her recovery rather than sending her to a recovery center, which Sam greatly appreciated. “I’ve been in respite a couple times, but willingly,” she says. “And that’s because of my team, and how they’ve talked to me about what good would come of it.”
Throughout her two years with the program, Sam’s care team has ensured she has transportation to wherever she needs to go, whether to her Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or doctor’s appointments to receive medication for her bipolar disorder. Her team also helped her throughout her pregnancy last year and secured transportation for both Sam and her baby after she gave birth. Sam’s outreach worker, Jackie, also comes to Sam’s house almost daily to meet with her because it’s easier for her with her baby at home.
Though there have been a few hiccups in her recovery, Sam says her ACCS team has given her the support she needed to completely transform her way of thinking, which has paved the way for her to make positive changes in her life. “I’ve been able to really start advocating for myself,” she says. “They’ve shown me how to not be so afraid of my mental health diagnosis and how to take control of my life—to get what I want out of life.”
With her care team’s unconditional support, Sam says she was able to escape the black hole created by her alcohol addiction and work toward improving her life. “They have helped me come a very long way from where I was,” she says. “The people that I’ve worked with at ACCS are a very special group of people, and I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
