THE THRIVE JOURNEY:
PERSONALIZED TREATMENT PLANS
Getting care at THRIVE is different than most other health care centers. Since our goal is to provide you with an integrated, comprehensive set of services that fit your unique needs, your path through THRIVE will be unlike any other patient's.
But just as importantly, by considering your work with the THRIVE practitioners as a "journey", you gain a sense of possibility, openess and hopefulness. Our goal is to help you move from a place of distress to an exploration of your strengths, gifts and dreams; and to create a life of greater fulfillment and satisfaction.
The following vignettes show the range of emotional and life challenges that we see at THRIVE, and the unique Journeys that migth develop for each patient. Each scenario is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all the treatments that might be used for a particular person. Rather, it provides you with several approaches that might be included in a more comprehensive Personalized Treatment Plan.
Browse through the vignettes and see which ones resonate with your current situation and challenges. Perhaps you'll discover some ideas for
positive change in your life.
VIGNETTE ONE
“For those whose lives have been touched and for those still awaiting touch;
For those who allow themselves to be seen and for those still hiding out.”
Carl never felt like anybody really knew who he was inside.
“It wasn’t easy growing up in my house. My Mom really raised all four kids because my dad drank so much. There was a lot of yelling when I was younger, but it finally stopped when I stood up to my Dad when I was fifteen. I don’t think anybody ever said “I love you” or hugged us kids.” “My friends never knew. High school, college, even now. You put on your best face, look good for everyone around you, put your head down and get your work done.” “I’ve talked to my wife about it some, but I’ve never told my kids. I want their life to be better than mine.” “Lately, I’ve been feeling kind of down, sad a lot, not really wanting to do anything or be with anybody. I keep thinking about being a kid and it just tears me up. I wish I could talk to my wife, my friends but it just doesn’t feel right.”
Carl’s THRIVE Journey “I’ve seen Dr. Silver for 4 sessions. I feel like he’s really taken the time to get to know me as a person, not just as a bunch of problems. It’s interesting how all the parts fit together – how my brain works, how I learned to deal with my emotions as a kid, how well I take care of myself now.” “We ran some labs and it looks like my low thyroid might be contributing to my depression. It’s only been a month, but I’m already feeling a lot better from the thyroid medicine and the antidepressant.” “We talked about how my lack of exercise and my irregular sleep patterns were making it harder for my brain to function. Last week, I started a program with Faith Walker that will help me improve my eating habits and get more exercise.” “I’ve started talking about how hard it is to let myself feel certain things, like sadness and fear, and how locking up my emotions makes my life more difficult. I’ve been trying to talk more to my wife and close friends. It really helps to just have someone listen and to get things off your chest.” “For all who stay “a part of” and for those who have a need to stay “apart from”; for all the wounded children”. Divorced, 45 and alone. For Suzanne, sitting around every night and weekend by herself was tough. But moving on with her life was even tougher. “Once my husband was gone and the kids were off to college, things kind of fell apart for me. My whole life was wrapped up in my family.” “My job is OK, but besides making me money, it doesn’t do much for me. I have a few co-workers I like, but I feel like an outsider a lot. I never was much of a joiner.” “The work sure doesn’t hold my interest. I guess that dream of opening my own bakery got lost a long time ago.” “I feel so lost most of the time. I don’t even know where to turn next to get out of this situation.”
Suzanne’s THRIVE Journey “It wasn’t until I joined the Women’s Group that I realized that I wasn’t the only person in this situation. It was so important for me to hear other women’s stories, to know that I wasn’t alone. The Retreat really helped – getting out in nature for awhile, forming new friendships as we laughed and played and worked together.” “I’d never done any art therapy before, so I was a little skeptical at first. But the session when Rose Cohen had us work with fabric to explore the essence of who we are, who we want to become, really clarified some of what I was struggling to understand.” “I’m thinking of seeing Peg Walton for Life Coaching – I think she’ll help me get a better focus on what I want to do next. Maybe that bakery isn’t as far off as I thought.” “For those who feel empty and for those who feel full; for those who confuse “more” and “enough”.” It didn’t matter how hard Jake tried. School just never felt satisfying. “It started in middle school. I’d work really hard, harder than my friends. And my grades would suck. High school was even worse. And forget college. I did my first semester at Mary Washington, then came home to live with my parents.” “I guess the partying all the time didn’t help. But it was a lot more fun than getting nowhere with my studying.” “I don’t where my life is going at this point. My friends are all off at college. Sometimes I wish I could just stay focused and finish what I’ve started. But nothing I do feels satisfying to me for very long.”
Jake’s THRIVE Journey “The first time Dr. Silver told me I had ADHD I didn’t believe him – I thought doctors like to throw labels at people and just give them medication. But the more I thought about what he said, the more everything began to fit together – my troubles in school, the depression and feeling bad about myself, my using alcohol and weed as a way to get rid of hard feelings.” “He wouldn’t even give me meds the first session. We talked a lot about how I took care of myself – what I ate, how I slept, whether I did things to relax myself, if I exercised enough. He said if I was going to use medication to change the way my brain worked, he wanted me to start working hard on taking care of the rest of my body, including learning how to feel more grounded – maybe yoga or meditation or acupuncture.” “I started with the Young Adult ADHD group – and saw that I’m not the only person in the world with these problems. What a relief to not feel so lonely for once in my life. Next weekend we’re headed out to a Ropes Challenge Course to learn to work together as a team.” “I want to go back to school in the fall but I’m afraid I’ll run into the same problems as before. So the Study Skills Coach is helping me set up a good schedule and hone some of my study skills. It’s nice to finally think of myself as a different learner, not a bad learner. And the psychological testing I get at THRIVE will help me get academic accommodations at the college.” “Then there’s the drinking. I kind of underestimated how much I used, but Doctor Silver figured it was more than I said and recommended that I start going to an AA group. I’m still thinking about it – it’s hard to make all these changes at once, especially changing how I hang out with my friends.” “So we’ll take it slow. I want these changes to stick, to last a long time. For the first time, I think I have a really good shot at finishing school and doing what I want to with my life.” “For those for whom it is easier to think of themselves and may yet learn to think of others; for those who can think of others but do not yet think of themselves.” Alyse’s in-laws moved closer to make it easier to care for them. But now it’s getting to be too much. “I’ve always been close to my in-laws. When they couldn’t live independently any longer, my husband and I thought it would be a great idea for them to be nearby – so we could help with shopping, doctor’s appointments, getting them to friends’ houses.” “Not to be mean about it, but I never realized how much taking care of your parents is like raising another kid. Which is tough when you work full time like I do and the job is really demanding.” “Forget my free time. When I’m done with my kid’s homework and cooking dinner and driving my in-laws, it’s way past time for bed. Yoga, exercise, time with my friends – I just don’t see how I’ll ever get to do these things again.” “I know my life is still really good, but I need some time for myself, some way to balance all these demands on me. Sometimes I just feel desperate and angry, with no way out.”
Alyse’s THRIVE Journey “It took me awhile in therapy to figure out that one of the reasons I get so overwhelmed is that I never ask anyone to help me out. I guess my husband and I don’t have the best communications about who does what around the house .” “We’ve been doing couples work now for a few weeks and already things are starting to improve. We listen to each other better and he has figured out how to pick up some of the work with my in-laws and the kids.” “The massage sessions have helped release some of the tension. My husband realizes that he’s really struggling with his parents getting old and is seeing Jeff Crouch for that. I k now we have a long haul ahead, but at least now my husband and I are trying to make a better go of it and to work together as team.”
“For those just being born and for those who feel that they are old but have not yet been born; for those who feel as if they have never really lived.” Being 14 isn’t easy for Noah. Or his parents. “Sometimes I don’t know why I do the things I do. I feel really bad for my family ‘cause I’m always fighting with them. But they make me really mad. They’re always telling me what to do, like about school. I’m afraid my parents won’t stay together because of me.” “I got kicked out of class again yesterday because I threw a book at the guys who were teasing me for being fat. Not a lot of kids like me because I’ll do stupid stuff just for attention.” “Everybody else seems to be having fun growing up except me.”
Noah’s THRIVE Journey “I really liked meeting Dr. Trogdon. She pretty nice and let’s me talk about stuff I don’t tell anyone else. We did some tests and she thinks maybe I have food allergies that are making my ADHD worse.” “Next week I’m going to a class with a bunch of other kids my age to learn about how to eat better so my brain works better. Dr. Trogdon says I have to start exercising, too. “ “Yesterday my family and I met with Dr. Wilcox. She’s helping us learn how to talk with each other home. Sometimes I meet with her by myself and we talk about how I can get along in school and not act so angry. She also went to my school and talked to my teachers, so they understand what I’m having problems with. She also has really good ideas about how to study for tests and do my homework.” “I’m starting to feel a little better about myself. I can focus in school and my grades are going up. My parents and I don’t fight as much. I know there’s still a lot of things I have to work on. But now I know that things won’t always be as bad as they were.” “For those in touch with their bodies who are getting in touch with their minds; for those in touch with their minds who are getting in touch with their bodies.” Carolyn had the breast cancer beat. Her body was finally healing. But her life was turned upside down. "My doctors were wonderful. Once they found the lump, the treatment went pretty quickly. My attitude was really good. My family and friends all pulled together. I tried to keep my life as normal as possible.” “It wasn’t until later that I got hit really hard. My husband acted distant because my body had changed. Sometimes the medications made me feel really anxious and depressed. I began to question what it meant to be a wife, a mother, a woman with a career. I got really scared of getting sick again and dying. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.”
Carolynl’s THRIVE Journey “Before my first appointment, I got a chance to sit in the Voyages Art Gallery at THRIVE. Looking at the paintings from the other patients, something began to shift for me. The paintings were about their journeys, about how their suffering had changed them, but not for the worse. I began to realize that maybe healing from cancer was about more than just getting better physically. Maybe it was a chance to take a look at all parts of my life, to really look at what it meant to be alive .” “The yoga class made such a difference. It wasn’t just about getting calm and relaxing my body -- it was about connecting with some very deep part of me, getting to know who I really was. Like talk therapy, but without the words.” “I went to the Thrive on the 3rd coffeehouse last Saturday. It was nice to be out with people again, meeting some really nice folks from the community, listening to some great music, drinking a little wine. I just felt safe, accepted. Getting back to the old me – but better.” |
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