Note: Kitty’s following story mentions thoughts of suicide, substance use and alcohol. If you or someone you know needs 24/7 immediate support, call 1-844-493-TALK (8255), text TALK to 38255 or visit the Walk-In Center at 4353 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. For more information and additional locations: coloradocrisisservices.org. For support outside Colorado, call 988.
To look at me now, you wouldn’t know the inner wars I’ve fought to achieve a life of sobriety. You wouldn’t see the diagnoses I’ve masked to survive, the homelessness I’ve experienced or the suicidality that I’ve dealt with since I was 12. When you look at me now, you see my success – my impending graduation with honors, my sober living, my healthy sense of self and ability to be in a loving relationship.
A Little Context First
Throughout my four years of receiving behavioral health services with WellPower, I have learned so much about the trauma, abuse, addictions and the circumstances that led me to the experiences I had as a child and young adult.
I’ve received multiple kinds of services, all based on what I needed at the time: psychiatry, case management, therapy and (maybe my favorite of all) access to the Adult Resource Center and NextChapter.
Before I dive any deeper into how much WellPower has helped me, first I need to explain a bit about where I come from.
I grew up in east Tennessee in a small town. My dad was disabled after a career in the military, and I became a de facto caretaker for my dad and my baby brother by the time I was 6 years old.
My parents were extremely religious and didn’t believe in accessing mental health care outside of our faith. Despite attempting suicide for the first time when I was only 12 and feeling suicidal for many years after that, I never received the kind of evidence-based, compassionate support that I now know I needed at the time.
I experienced abuse as a child and then I grew up trying to find acceptance and safety from people who only knew how to harm me. I struggled with addiction to alcohol, crack cocaine and opiates throughout my college years and into my early 20s.
Throughout all of this, I was also masking what I learned is actually a neurodivergence diagnosis.
By the time I escaped my previous life in Tennessee in June 2020 and landed in Colorado, all I had were my personal belongings. I was homeless, struggling to find enough food and couldn’t afford clothing.
Then I found WellPower.
My Upward Spiral
I don’t think a lot of people realize how much of a difference dignity and a full stomach make to someone who’s at rock bottom. When you can’t afford food, clothing or shelter, you begin to lose hope that your life can improve.
When I got connected to WellPower through a case manager, the first thing she did was bring me to the Adult Resource Center’s food bank. I was treated with humanity and so much kindness. I was able to think more clearly because I actually had food in my stomach. I could find clothing that was suitable for job interviews, which allowed me to finally have an income. The food bank and Shopette fed and clothed me when I had nothing.
Throughout all of this, I had a team of WellPower clinicians, staff, trainers and specialists cheering me on. The team at NextChapter helped me get connected to a community college, from which I’ll be graduating with honors. At the Adult Resource Center, I was accepted into the vocational trainee program and gained priceless work experience, while also being able to help people who were in the same situation as I’d been in only months prior.
I’ve put in a lot of work to heal my past trauma, stop my substance and alcohol use and embrace a fully sober life. I couldn’t do all of that without the tools and the people of WellPower.
It’s the People Who Make the Difference
The power of having someone who truly believes in you is unmatched in the difference it makes to your recovery. For me, those people come from WellPower.
My care team is wide and varied, from my psychiatrist and therapist to my case manager and education specialist. Each person has supported me in crucial ways along my recovery journey.
I’ve been able to stay dedicated and empowered in my healing progress in large part due to the people cheering me on. They’ve given me the resources to find tools outside of substances to help when my life feels difficult.
Just like anyone else on their recovery journey, I had to make the choice to want to get better. Progress won’t happen if you don’t want it to, and it’s definitely not a quick process. I’ve been in recovery for years, taking small steps every day to get just a little bit further ahead of where I was the day before.
I have a new understanding of myself and my past, which has helped me to heal so much trauma. I now understand how my neurodivergence diagnosis (which WellPower helped me get) has impacted my life. I can communicate my needs and advocate for myself in spaces where I used to shrink to accommodate everyone else.
I can afford to buy my own clothes and food. I can be part of a healthy, loving relationship and know I deserve to feel safe and cared for by my partner.
I can finally thrive, and you can, too.
To someone in a place like mine back at the beginning of my journey, I’d say this: Everyone deserves to know that it can get better. I’d never promise someone that it will get better – no one can make that promise for sure – but I’ll tell you that it can. This process takes work, time, dedication and resolve. There will be hard days, weeks and months. Stick with it anyway. If you’d told me at 23 that one day I’d be in my 30s and kicking butt at school, graduating with honors and pursuing a career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I wouldn’t have believed you.
My journey with WellPower is living proof that no obstacle is insurmountable and that with determination, grit, support and unwavering faith in yourself, you can find recovery, too.
Make the call. Ask for help. It’s worth every minute. To access WellPower’s services, call the Access Center at (303) 504-7900.