Success Story: How CCS Helped Teen to Love Life

Autumn’s mental health issues started when she was just 8 years old and led to her first hospitalization at 13. From there, her quality of life quickly deteriorated, and by the end of her freshman year in high school, she felt consumed by her obsessive-compulsive disorder. She said at times she even felt “deranged” or “like a cornered animal.” Autumn wanted to either isolate herself at home or lash out. The hospital visits became routine, the self-harm continued regularly, and she even began to think about a timeline for when she would attempt suicide. Fortunately, she chose to seek out help instead.

When Autumn became involved with WCS and its Youth Comprehensive Community Services (CCS – Care Coordination) program, she saw it as an opportunity to get out of the house but wasn’t sure about much else. Then she began working with Camryn, a Youth Advocate in the CCS program, and her life has been better ever since.

Autumn quickly gained complete trust in Camryn, which gave her the confidence to speak openly with a trained adult without risk of contempt or retribution – a significant relief for someone whose obsessive-compulsive disorder made it hard to share thoughts and feelings. She found time spent with Camryn to be thought-provoking and empowering. Camryn helped Autumn to do things she previously feared, like shopping or other activities in public. She helped Camryn understand how to use a new fondness for crafts to cope with life’s stressors – even alone. Additionally, because of her work in the CCS program, Autumn learned how to gain more joy from her favorite things – she loves to create costumes for and participate in live-action role-play (LARP) events. More importantly, Autumn now feels more worthy of love, which is made even easier by the company she now keeps.

Eventually, Autumn began to look forward to spending time in the CCS program, even if it meant putting in hard work. She had reason to succeed in the program and hold herself accountable because many people were in her no-longer-empty corner.

Interestingly, Autumn says the moment the CCS program helped her the most occurred when someone else was struggling. One of her best friends was increasingly engaging in risky behavior and Autumn didn’t know how she could help. Camryn helped Autumn realize that the best thing for her recovery was to distance herself from that friend and the situation. While Autumn still cared for her friend, her judgment was clouded at the time, and she needed to focus on herself.

Now 18, Autumn believes she would have followed through with her suicide plans had she not joined the CCS program and received the guidance of Camryn. Instead, she’s starting college and is surrounded by people who love her. This new chapter fills Autumn with hope and excitement.

“I don’t think I’d be here without these positive influences,” she says.