Walking Side By Side: Lessons Learned on The Journey to Wellness

In my forty-nine year career as a psychiatric nurse I have been complicit in enabling clients to believe a lie. I bought into the label of mental illness. I believed that a person with a psychiatric disorder would never be able to live independently. Instead of educating my clients about wellness, I sentenced them to the role of “identified patient.” This assigned identity affected the way they were treated by friends and family. Most importantly, it affected their self-esteem. It took me years to understand that my clients are not fragile. They are less likely to relapse if medi­cation and talk therapy continue after discharge. I came to understand that they ARE able to live meaningful lives when they are willing to see themselves as being more than their assigned label. This book is my thank you to the multitude of clients who have unconditionally accepted and inspired me. It is my hope that our work together, as portrayed in these stories, will help others appreciate and understand that we are all the same. The work that each individual does with a therapist is unique to that human being. The stories in this book are meant to reflect universal themes, wisdom, and insight that are part of all human experience.

Connie Houck, a registered nurse, was a staff nurse on a psychiatric unit before she became Head nurse. She has been working in private practice since 1986. She is passionate about her work, in which she plays many roles: teacher, coach, student, and cheerleader. She lives in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, three miles from her daughter’s family, with her Alaskan husky Snowee.