Counseling at The Bridge

Anna and Barbara Share Their Story

Because of the stigma associated with mental health issues, counseling success stories rarely get told, but they need to be heard. Anna, a high school junior, and her mother, Barbara, were willing to share their story about pursuing counseling at the Bridge in the hope that others would have the courage to seek help. 

“At the end of my daughter’s sophomore year, beginning of her junior year,” said Barbara, “I noticed that she just didn’t seem herself anymore. Her grades started going down and she started missing school.”

“I had a little bit of depression and anxiety,” said Anna, “and I didn’t know how to focus my attention away from it or how to control it.”

“We ended up in the hospital,” said Barbara, “because I didn’t know what else to do.”

“My Mom kind of encouraged me to go try out therapy and it ended up helping a lot more than I thought it would,” said Anna. “You find out a lot more about yourself than you think you’d ever know. I met my Bridge therapist and she just had this connection with me and she didn’t compare me to other clients—she kind of made me feel like an individual and it felt good to know that you’re not alone in this whole journey.”

“Anna came out (of her session) one day,” said Barbara, “and she turned to me and said, ‘Mom, you don’t have to worry anymore about me because I’m going to be okay.’ The relief off of my shoulders,” said Barbara, “was just phenomenal, and honestly if it wasn’t for Anna’s therapist, if it wasn’t for the Bridge, I’m not sure that Anna would be here.”

Their Bridge counselor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, said. “Working with these two people has been very gratifying because they took themselves from a very dark place and brought themselves into the light. It makes such a big difference when clients are invested in making change in their lives."