Memories

CRU

October, 1997:  I started my new job at MHMR at the Crisis Residential Unit.  I was going to be a therapist tech and lead groups with mentally ill adults.  CRU was a place that mentally ill adults came to stay for a few days until they were safe and stable to go home.  They came to us because they weren't needing to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but they weren't safe to go home either.  So they stayed at CRU until they were stable and ready to go home, usually a few days.  Sometimes we had clients come to stay with us because they needed to be monitored while the doctor changed their medication, and a few came to us for respite of a few days to give their families/caretakers a break.  I worked with two other therapist techs, a doctor, a nurse, and a therapist who cared for about 8-12 clients.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  The therapist was a licensed professional of the healing arts (LPHA) and she lead one processing group each day for about 1-2 hours, while I lead morning and afternoon groups but not processing therapy groups.  I lead a Goals group, then we had the processing group, and usually a creative group before lunch.  We monitored lunch, then we had two afternoon groups--one was coping skills/symptom management, and lastly was a group where we did games or movies.  After I was trained in Good Chemistry, I taught Good Chemistry groups to dual diagnosis clients.  I worked there a couple of weeks when I met the therapist, Gloria Noah, who would over the years become a close friend, a best friend, and better than the sister I never had.  I met her by observing her group and after that first time I became the staff member that attended the group with her, observed her, assisted in the group, and eventually kept notes for her.

Gloria was the kindest person I ever met and she was devoted to the clients.  She was their advocate and when clients deterated and had to be taken to the hospital she always tried to help keep them calm.  At the time we were at CRU was before police worked directly with us and understood very little about mental health.  Often I had to chase clients who ran away because they didn't want to go to the hospital or were scared.  When I brought them back Gloria tried to speak softly to them and calm them down while the police handcuffed them.  The worse thing I saw was when a girl was being handcuffed and she was terrified because her abuser had done this to her.  It was so sad and most times I couldn't watch, but Gloria would stay with them and reassure them.  We could understand handcuffing those who were violent but the rule was to handcuff everyone, but they weren't criminals--most were just suicidal and needed to be in a more restricted place than the CRU.  It took a long time but now we have Mental Health police who are trained to work with our clients and only those violent clients are restrained.  It is so much better now, and back in those early days at CRU it was just heartbreaking at times they way the clients were treated.  While it's much better now, there is still room for improvement with the police, stigma, and mental health.