I am most passionate about mental health in two ways. One is regarding the mental health of our children and everything they navigate through with technology and social media. As parents, we are watching our children grow up in a world that differs greatly from the world we grew up in as children. Children are being exposed to technology and devices at a young age, whether it be personally or through friends. Devices provide them with an entire online world, including social media. Our family experienced just how detrimental this can be to our children’s mental health.
Our personal story is one that I don’t share often but I will say, we are truly fortunate to have had a close-knit village of friends and family who helped us on our journey and without them, we wouldn’t have made it through. From a parent’s perspective, the biggest challenge we faced was trying to educate ourselves while also trying to afford therapists and additional resources. Therapy is costly, and many therapists do not accept insurance. Prior to joining the Bowen Center, my family struggled with mediocre health insurance, but without it, we would have gone broke trying to get our daughters the help they needed. Covering $125 weekly therapy sessions out of pocket was costly, but in our minds, absolutely necessary. We were willing to pay any amount to get our daughters the help they needed.
Second, is the story of my sister, Taylor Nielsen, a former police officer who began struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2016, following a traumatic case. More information on her personal story is found in the 2018 article New Police Mental Health Awareness Law Celebrated. Taylor inspired the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act. She was honored to attend President Trump’s January 30th, 2018 State of the Union address as Senator Donnelly’s guest.
While what she experienced was tragic, what transpired from that experience will be life-changing for so many. She has since left the department and moved to Arizona, where she is taking classes toward her Psychiatry license, focusing on working with first responders. In addition, our daughter is attending IU Bloomington this fall to major in Psychology. I am very proud of both of them for being strong enough to share their stories and for using their experiences to help others who are struggling!