Sarah struggled with depression and when she first arrived, she often slept most of the day. After getting to know Sarah we focused on supporting her to develop a healthy routine. She connected to a Mental Health Team in Vancouver and began to stabilize in this area. Sarah had not grown up speaking about mental health, so this was a huge step for her. She also attended a job training program and within a couple of weeks we saw her adjust to her new schedule and she began participating in healthy activities that she enjoyed. Sarah would regularly attend outings with staff, volunteers and other youth in the program. Sarah even started to swim again which is an activity she loves but had stopped participating in.
After a couple of months Sarah reconnected with her family. She told us that they had stopped talking before she moved to Vancouver as they didn’t understand her mental health and how her past trauma affected her day to day life. While staying at Covenant House Sarah gained insight into her own mental health and how to communicate this to others. She had several conversations with her family and stated that for the first time she felt her family understood and supported her. One day Sarah came to talk to me and was in tears. She had decided to return to Eastern Canada to reconnect with her family and explained that she didn’t think this was even a possibility until recently.
Sarah thanked me and everyone at Covenant House Vancouver for supporting her to find her way again and to help her understand that the struggles she had been going through were not her fault. Sarah has such a kind and bright energy about her and truly showed her strength and resilience when she made the choice to come to Covenant House and ask for help. We wish her all the very best for her future.
Shared by Krista, Youth Worker at our Crisis Program