The pandemic era has ushered in a loneliness epidemic. According to researchers at Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 61 percent of young adults are currently feeling \u201cserious loneliness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nera Daugherty, who was 18 in 2020, could relate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just moved into my own apartment, had just been broken up with and school just shut down,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe mall also shut down where I worked, so there was nothing new, and I was stuck being completely alone for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Struggling with anxiety and depression, Nera reached out to a MultiCare primary care provider. After seeing how high Nera scored on two questionnaires, her doctor recommended therapy.<\/p>\n
At MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, Nera met social worker Amy Hagins, LASWA, CMHS, and found her support system.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmy was a great listening ear who gave me lots of skills to help me work through depression and anxiety and to handle them more in daily life,\u201d Nera says. \u201cInstead of dwelling on emotions and the struggle I was going through, she taught me how to use meditation to relax and not be so anxious all the time. She also gave me the idea of a schedule so that I had a normal sleep cycle, which helped a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rockwood Clinic is supported by community members passionate about providing access to behavioral health care in the Inland Northwest. Last year, donors helped raise more than $163,000 for local programs and services, paving the way for 10,664 total behavioral health visits. Forty-one percent of these visits were conducted via telehealth.<\/p>\n
Nera herself went to therapy for about six months. Today, she reports being on a good path thanks to all she learned from Amy.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepression and anxiety don’t really go away, but I\u2019m definitely in a better spot than I was then,\u201d Nera shares. \u201cI think I handle my emotions and life struggles better.\u201d<\/p>\n
And a little skateboarding as an outlet doesn\u2019t hurt either.<\/p>\n