Day No. 5

I’ve been meaning to keep up with these blog posts more regularly than I have. The program I’m in keeps us very busy. Much of our work centers on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), both are research-based approaches that are proven to help with depression and anxiety.

It has been quite a whirlwind of a week. I’ve only been here four and a half days, and I’ve already had more appointments with doctors and therapists than I’ve had over the past couple of months. Through it all, everyone continues to be incredibly supportive and kind.

Yesterday we had a Recreational Therapy session that involved a climbing activity. The challenge began with climbing a wobbly rope ladder and then stepping onto a suspended four-by-six board hanging from the ceiling by ropes. From there, participants would move across four boards of varying lengths to complete the course. It was definitely a challenge.

Before each climb, the therapist spoke with the climber about their goals and how they were feeling in the moment. She was encouraging and supportive throughout the process. As people climbed, she checked in with them about what they were experiencing emotionally. When someone expressed fear, she asked them to pause and helped them talk through it—encouraging them to sit with the feeling and use strategies to work through it. When they felt ready, they continued the climb.

I didn’t get a chance to climb this time (a bit of a bummer), but I was part of the support team for the others. It was inspiring to watch people face their fears and accomplish the goals they had set for themselves.

My first weekend here is coming up, and the schedule still looks fairly full. I’ll let you know, dear reader, how it goes. More later…