Client Stories
Finding Strength in Healing: Sofia’s Journey to Overcoming Trauma and Embracing Self-Love
Before connecting with Wellnest, Sofia’s life was filled with a constant cycle of anxiety, depression, and feelings of worthlessness. She faced an ongoing battle with toxic stress, deeply rooted in childhood trauma. “I struggled a lot with how I felt about myself,” Sofia recalls. She experienced a sense of helplessness and hopelessness that led her to develop an eating disorder (ED) to punish herself for feeling, “less than.” “I would restrict food,” she explains, “but it only made things worse as I became constantly anxious about the amounts I was eating. Too much felt like a reward, and too little made me feel punished.” This anxiety compounded the pressures of family expectations and unaddressed trauma. At a young age, Sofia felt the burden of performing, providing, and escaping the toxic stress she was consistently exposed to.
Connecting with Wellnest services was the turning point Sofia needed! With the support of compassionate therapists and holistic services, she began to unravel the complex layers of her struggles. “They provided the necessary support and care to learn how to love myself despite feeling worthless and alone,” Sofia says. Through therapy, she began to confront the internal and external voices that told her she wasn’t enough and slowly replaced them with self-compassion and understanding. One of the most transformative aspects of Sofia’s journey was realizing her own strength. “I learned that I am a lot stronger than I believe,” she reflects.
Sofia’s journey is one of hope and resilience—a reminder that the darkest battles can lead to the brightest victories!
13-year-old Christian is thriving!
Christian has been benefitting from the services provided by Wellnest Full Service Partnership Intensive program, since 2021. When he came to Wellnest he was grieving the loss of his father, and adapting to the new living arrangement with his godmother. Christian had lived with his father most of his life due to his mother’s struggles with addiction and mental health challenges.
Today, Christian is thriving! He receives personalized support through individual and family services, including therapy and medication management and parent-partner services. With the love and support of his godmother and dedicated Wellnest team, Christian has successfully navigated the many challenges in his life!
Learn more about our Wellnest Full Service Partnership Intensive program or call 323.373.2400 today.
Once depressed and distracted, Hope is now happy and healing!
Nine-year-old Hope was described as an intelligent, creative, active and helpful girl. But she was struggling with disruptive, hyperactive, and disruptive behaviors. Her mom complained about her stealing and destroying property. Hope would frequently lie and show signs of irritability, sadness and had a history of suicidal thoughts.
Although Hope was smart, creative, and energetic, these issues started to significantly impact Hope’s ability to develop friendships, get along with her family and succeed at school. Hope was referred by her school to Wellnest’s School-Linked Services program. Hope first met her therapist in October 2021 and began to gain confidence with the help of a support group at Wellnest’s Exposition Park location. Hope’s therapist also provided skills and tips for Hope’s family to help regulate her disruptive behaviors at home. Today, Hope has new friends, and is happy and healing!
Wellnest’s School-Linked Services program works with schools and community partners including but not limited to LAUSD, affiliated charter schools, the Department of Parks and Recreation, local social justice organizations, faith-based organizations, community colleges and other higher learning institutions.
For more information about Wellnest’s School-Linked Services call 323.373.2400.
Wrapping Services around Antonio
In February 2022, Antonio was referred to Wellnest’s Wraparound Program. He and his sister had been separated from their biological father but remained in the care of their biological mother. Allegations of spousal abuse and physical abuse by his father compounded with a failure to protect by his mother created a scary and hostile living situation for Antonio. Antonio showed signs of demonstrating physical and verbal aggression towards his sister and mother, at risk for repeating the cycle of abuse. The Wraparound team at Wellnest got to work surrounding Antonio with a full-circle approach, providing intensive coordinated services including therapy, rehabilitation, and case management. At first Antonio was reluctant to implement some of the coping strategies that Wellnest provided, however he began to become present and engaged with his Wraparound team. Soon he was able to create achievable goals for himself to decrease his anger responses, improve relationships with his family and peers and eventually improve his grades and get back on track. In June 2023, Antonio completed his therapy with Wraparound and was able to graduate high school! Today, he’s interested in attending college and his future looks bright!
Click here learn more about our Wraparound Program today or call 323.373.2400.