Inside A Free Youth Crisis Respite Program In Texas with Lauren Mitchell

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In today's episode, Inside A Free Youth Crisis Respite Program In Texas with Lauren Mitchell, we sit with the reality of the youth mental health crisis and what it feels like when a family runs out of ideas and energy. Lauren Mitchell breaks down how a Youth Crisis Respite Center offers a free, trauma-informed pause that helps kids recenter and helps families reconnect with hope. 

• what a youth crisis respite center is and why it exists 
• how Hill Country MHDD supports 19 Texas counties with community mental health resources 
• why a home-like setting can feel safer than institutional care 
• how the 7-day, 24/7 model works for ages 12 to 17 
• what “low risk of harm” means and when higher care is needed 
• why kids cannot be mandated to attend and how autonomy builds buy-in 
• the “Coke bottle” approach to slowing down crisis conversations 
• what teens wish adults understood about social media and emotional overload 
• how backing off as a parent can build resilience and self-efficacy 

Show Guest:

Lauren Mitchell is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate and the Director of the Youth Crisis Respite Center at Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers in San Marcos.

What I love about Lauren’s work is that she approaches mental health through a deeply relational and human lens. Her background spans family therapy, crisis stabilization, trauma-informed care, leadership in community mental health systems, and family-centered support programs.

But beyond the credentials—and there are many—what stands out about Lauren is her presence. She has this grounded, collaborative way of helping people feel safe enough to breathe again during some of their hardest moments.

She believes healing happens through connection, dignity, and meeting people exactly where they are.

You can contact Lauren at: lauren@brightlightmft.com, or find her on Instagram.

Transcript

Welcome To Couch Time

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to Couch Time with Cat, your safe place for real conversation and a gentle check-in. KWVH presents Couch Time with Cat.

Speaker 1 0:10

Hi friends, and welcome to Couch Time with Cat, Mental Wellness with a Friendly Voice. I'm Cat, therapist, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and endurance athlete. But most of all, I'm a wife, mama, and someone who deeply believes that people are good and healing is possible. Here in the Hill Country of Wimberley, Texas, I've built my life and practice around one purpose: to make mental wellness feel accessible, compassionate, and real. This show is for those moments when life feels heavy, when you're craving clarity, or when you just need to hear, you're not alone. Each week we'll explore the terrain of mental wellness through stories, reflections, research, and tools you can bring into everyday life. Think of it as a conversation between friends, rooted in science, guided by heart, and grounded in the belief that healing does not have to feel clinical. It can feel like sitting on a couch with someone who gets it. So whether you're driving, walking, cooking, or simply catching your breath, you're welcome here. This is your space to feel seen, supported, and reminded of your own strength. I'm so glad you're here. Let's dive in.

When A Family Hits Crisis

Speaker 1 1:22

What happens when a child is struggling so deeply that a family no longer knows what to do next? What if crisis didn't have to mean punishment or shame or isolation? What if there were places built not just for stabilization, but for compassion? Today's conversation is about the moments nobody prepares us for and the people quietly holding hope when families feel lost. There's a particular kind of silence that can settle into a home when someone is hurting emotionally, especially when that someone is a child or a teenager. It's the silence after another slam door, after another call from school, and after another night where nobody really slept. And beneath that silence is fear. Fear that you're failing as a parent, fear that your child is slipping away from you, and fear that you missed something important. Fear that you don't know how to help anymore. One of the hardest truths about being a parent is that love alone doesn't always give us the tools we need. Sometimes families deeply love one another and still find themselves overwhelmed, disconnected, exhausted, or in crisis. And yet, I also believe some of the most healing moments happen when someone walks into the room and says, You don't have to carry this alone anymore. Today we're talking about a youth crisis support center, emotional stabilization, family systems, and what compassionate mental health care can look like in real life. Young people today are navigating enormous emotional pressure, social media, loneliness, academic stress, identity exploration, family tension, anxiety, uncertainty, a world that often moves faster than the nervous system was designed to handle. And families are so tired. So today's episode isn't about blame. It's about understanding support and remembering that healing is relational. And joining me today is someone who lives in that space every single day with compassion and grounded wisdom. You're listening to Couch Time with Cat. I'm Cat, and today we're talking about youth crisis support, family healing, and compassionate care during difficult seasons.

Meet Lauren Mitchell

Speaker 1 4:07

Today's guest is Lauren Mitchell. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist associate and the director of the Youth Crisis Respite Center at Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disability Center in San Marcos. What I love about Lauren's work is that she approaches mental health through a deeply relational and human lens. Her background spans family therapy, crisis stabilization, trauma-informed care, leadership in community mental health systems, and family-centered support programs. But beyond the credentials, and there are many, what stands out about Lauren is her presence. She has this grounded, collaborative way of helping people feel safe enough to kind of exhale and maybe lean into support during their hardest moments. She believes that healing happens through connection, dignity, and meeting people exactly where they are. Hi, Lauren.

Speaker 5:11

Hello.

Speaker 1 5:12

Welcome.

Speaker 5:13

Yes, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 5:15

How does it feel to hear about yourself in that way?

Speaker 5:17

Oh my gosh. I almost I was getting emotional. It was a beautiful, beautiful way of explaining things. But thank you. That was so that was really nice.

Speaker 1 5:26

Yeah, I'm so glad to have you here. And I'm so glad to share your expertise with the world because you do so much work. But the work that you do isn't necessarily public. It isn't necessarily visible. Yeah. People don't necessarily know that all these things are going on behind the scenes. And luckily, they don't have to know if they're not in that situation. But for people who are in that situation, I want them to know that you're out there.

Speaker 5:59

Yeah. I think it's about normalizing that these things are happening to families and to youth. And it happens every single day. Could be your neighbor, the person across the street, the person that served you. Um people do go into crisis and families are trying to, you know, survive and thrive and heal. And it's an everyday thing. And you're right, it's not, it's not loud and proud out there. It's a very vulnerable thing. Um, at times can be very secretive, and the work that we do is is special and it's valuable and it's it's much needed. So yeah, anytime I get to talk about families in crisis and just the work that goes into it, it I will sing it from the top of the highest mountain.

Speaker 1 6:43

Can I start at the top?

What Hill Country MHDD Is

Speaker 6:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:45

What is MHDD?

Speaker 6:47

Yeah, so Hill Country MHD spans over 19 counties. It's the local mental health authority in this area. So we serve a tremendous amount of people and areas, um, more rural and more in the city area. So we're everywhere. Um, and the idea behind Hill Country MHDD is that we're trying to ensure that people have access to resources. Um, in our more rural counties, there's not a whole lot out there. So that's why we're out there. We want to make sure that people have access. Um people have the ability to reach out and get the help that they need. Um, tons of different programs, you know, from um to Kumi services with juvenile probation, from mental health, dual diagnosis, um, peer support, family partners, youth in crisis. Uh, they have MST. I mean, just tons of programs for just anybody out there that, you know, just really needs the help.

Speaker 1 7:43

So to organize kind of MHDD in the minds of the listener, is it a building?

Speaker 7:50

So our headquarters is in Kerrville, Texas. And then we have buildings and clinics and programs all throughout the 19 counties. So multiple locations.

Speaker 1 8:01

How many people does MHDD employ?

Speaker 8:04

Oh gosh, I don't even know.

Speaker 1 8:06

Give me a guess. 10, 20, 500, 100.

Speaker 8:09

No, I would say, oh my gosh, you know, I I don't even know if I could put out a number, maybe 400, 500.

Speaker 1 8:18

That's enormous.

Speaker 8:19

Yeah.

Speaker 1 8:19

It's more than 100.

Speaker 8:21

Yeah. Oh, it's more than 100 for sure. And I think that as, you know, mental health becomes a more um normalized topic and the world is more open to talking about it and and understanding that healing and recovery is needed in everyone's lives. Um, our services are expanding, hill country is expanding. Um, yeah, we're we're just getting bigger and bigger.

Speaker 1 8:44

Wow. Okay. So to me, I've never seen this place. So it's just an idea. Yeah. Like it's hard to conceptualize this enormous mental health resource. Okay.

Why Respite Looks Like A Home

Speaker 1 8:59

So let me break it down even a little bit further. What is the youth crisis center? That is a subset of MHDD.

Speaker 9:08

Yeah. So the way I look at Hill Country MHDD is this massive umbrella and it covers so many different programs underneath it. And so that's kind of how I picture it. So where I'm at is the Youth Crisis Respite Center, and that's in San Marcos. Um, that program is one of its kind, has also been used as a model for several other respite through the state of Texas, because we're finding that we need more of them. Now, if I had to describe what it looked like, it's very interesting. Hear me out. It looks like a home. If you drove by it, you would not even know that there is this magical work happening in there. It looks like a home. It's based off of the living room model. The idea behind this is if it looks less institutionalized and less restrictive, kids that are going there, it's trauma-informed, it feels safe, they're able to take the structure and the routines that they're doing there at respite and take it back home versus being institutionalized, going to a more intense, higher restrictive level of care, and then going back home, it looks totally different, right? They're used to the groups, the rigid schedule, the white walls, like it's it's spooky sometimes. Respite has that home-like environment already. They have dinner at a table, there's a little TV, they have reading areas, they have a beautiful yard, there's peacocks that visit. It's very home like so they're able to just take that home and transition it beautifully.

Speaker 1 10:44

So when you say a respite center, do you mean somebody can go there during the day only? Do they have to spend the night? What is how does somebody avail themselves of the services there?

Speaker 10:59

Yeah, that's a great question. So the way it looks like is it's a seven-day program for youth that are in crisis. Now, crisis is quite subjective, right? You could have a kiddo that is in the middle of crisis and they're trying to navigate it. You can have a kiddo that is post-crisis and they're kind of coming down, still trying to navigate the hardships of what they went through. Or it could be someone that is approaching a time in their life that they typically go into crisis. So a death of a loved one, a traumatic event, an anniversary, things like that. Now, what they do is they contact the crisis hotline, say that they're seeking respite services. From there, an assessment is done to ensure that they are at the appropriate level for respite care. So what that means is a low risk of harm. They may have some tendencies, they may have some scary thoughts, but essentially they're able to participate and do well. Um, what would exclude them from the program temporarily would be that higher risk of harm where they're needing to get stabilized and just essentially be safe first. Um, so then after that assessment's done, it happens very quickly. They can immediately admit into our program. They reach out, hey, I had this kiddo, this is what's going on. They're seeking some support. Yep, come on through. And we do that admission. They get to stay with us for up to seven days, day and night. So we're a 24-7 facility. They get to stay with us that entire time.

Speaker 1 12:34

What's how old do you have to be to do that?

Speaker 12:37

So it goes from 12 to 17. That's kind of the age range that we work with.

Speaker 1 12:41

And what's the cost?

Speaker 12:43

It's free. Completely free. It's a grant funded program. There is no cost. We don't take any financial information at admission. Um, we just take basic demographic information. It's a completely free program.

Speaker 1 12:56

That's insane.

Speaker 12:58

Yeah. Yep. Wow. And it is just so needed. It's so needed anywhere and everywhere.

Speaker 1 13:05

What's the max number of kids that stay there at one time?

Speaker 13:09

So we're a six-bed facility. I would say it really depends on the way I see it is I want to create a culture and a milieu that's supportive for the individuals that are there. So it is not often that I will completely fill up every single bed. Um, sometimes it's three kids, sometimes it's four kids, sometimes it's one kid. It really just depends on the needs of the kid that's coming through. Are they needing more individualized care? Do they thrive in social environments? Um, yeah, it kind of just depends on the milieu on how many kids we have. But we don't, we wouldn't ever go over six.

Speaker 1 13:47

Wow.

Who Qualifies And How To Admit

Speaker 1 13:48

Okay. What do the kids do there during the day?

Speaker 13:51

So they do lots of things. Um, what's really cool is my staff don't have to follow a very, very specific clinical schedule. They get very unique in their thinking on what the child needs and how to meet them where they're at. So depending on their situation and their crisis, they will structure a clinical schedule to fulfill those needs. So if you have a kiddo, let's say who's struggling with uh social anxiety and they want to make friends, but they really struggle with it and they don't want to be isolated anymore because they've been hanging out in the room for years and all the different things. We may look at doing group activities by the river at the park. We may work on role play scenarios, we may talk about meditating through anxiety and kind of getting grounded and you know, reaching back into your identity and all the different things. So each kid gets a completely different program depending on their need. Yeah.

Speaker 1 14:53

Wow, what a blessing.

Speaker 14:55

I know. It is the coolest thing. And you know, it's funny, I've heard it so many times over the years where families come in and of course they're nervous and emotional and all the different things, but by the time they leave, it's the parents saying, Well, when are you gonna make an adult respite? When do I get to take a break and work on my stuff for seven days straight?

Speaker 1 15:17

That sounds like a great idea.

Speaker 15:18

Yeah.

Speaker 1 15:19

We could do that. Absolutely. Wow. Okay. So I was gonna ask, what do you think is the difference between or rather the difference in outcome between punishment and stabilization, but it doesn't really sound like the kids that come in need stabilization, or do they?

Speaker 15:41

Um, I would say, well, I guess I guess it's how we define stabilization, right? I think that um the kids that come through are needing something to to get them recentered. I guess that would probably be the the language that I like is is them needing to feel recentered and get back on the path that they were once on. Whatever it is that's going on in their life has knocked them down. So essentially they're coming to us to be able to stand back up, feel that they can be a part of their community, feel like they can be a part of their relationships, and feel stabilized enough to do it successfully. So essentially, yeah, I think that we do a little bit of stabilization, some recentering, some recovery, um, but on a on a lower acute level.

Speaker 1 16:29

Does it do any of your do any of the kiddos come in basically like on the mandate of a parent? Is it does it ever feel like a punishment? Like I can't do this with my kid anymore, figure them out, like in that kind of vibe.

Autonomy, Buy-In, And No Mandates

Speaker 16:49

So yes and no. Um, I will not accept kids that are mandated to be there. It doesn't happen. It's not allowed, it's part of our policies. We nobody can be mandated by, well, we'll stop from the top, right? By a judge, by law enforcement. That's not our facility. There are places for sure that we can connect you with, but for our model and our approach, we don't find that it works for a kid to be forced to be there. We're gonna get a different kiddo than we would have if there's buy-in from the kiddo saying, you know what, I'll give it a go. Now, the reason why I also say yes is because you do have parents that say, hell no, we're done. Enough is enough. I'm gonna drop you off when I pick you up on day seven. We need to have a new life. Like that, that's what it is.

Speaker 1 17:36

Wow. If if it only works that way. Right. It does.

Speaker 17:39

And and I explain that at admission. I understand that in this dream world of all the emotions, we're wanting our child to be quote unquote fixed. It's not how it works. He or she has to want to be here and want to do the work. So a really good practice that we do is we direct that conversation to the kiddo because they have a say-so. I want them to have autonomy and authority over their own lives. Like, hey, kid, do you even want to be here? What's going on for you? How are you experiencing this? Or how do we get you from point A to point B if possible? And that's how we get that buy-in and kind of switch the perspective of I understand why you want your kid to get all the help that they need and you want to drop off and go, and we need to make them stay here. I can't do that. But I can definitely have a collaborative conversation where I can figure out ways that we can meet this kid where they're at and hopefully guide them to want to be here. And then let's make that decision together. So I won't even move forward with an admission until I know we're all in it together.

Speaker 1 18:48

Can kids show up on their own or do they have to have parental or caregiver permission? Because otherwise, are they a runaway?

Speaker 19:00

So um, yes and no. At the age of 16, you can consent to your own medical care in the state of Texas. So at 16, they can come and admit themselves. The reason why I also say no-ish is because at the point of discharge, because they're underage, I've got to discharge you to your appearance. Like I can't just send you back out onto the streets not knowing if you're gonna be okay. Um, typically, when I've had 16-year-olds admit themselves, by the time they've gotten the support that they need, the help, we've connected with the guardians, they usually come together at the end. It may not be as healed as we'd like it to look, but it's something. So I've never had any issues where I've just had nowhere for a kid to go. We've made it work, but at 16, they definitely can admit themselves.

Speaker 1 19:51

Okay, so kind of. Yes. They can admit themselves, but they have to, when they sign out, they have to be in the care of a guardian. Yes. Okay.

Barriers To Care And A Soft Start

Speaker 1 20:01

Listener, this is all very deep. And you may be thinking, who goes through this? Nobody in my life goes through this, and this is why are they talking about this? Or you may be thinking, Oh my God, if I could just get my kid there. Or you may be thinking, this would have been really nice for me when I was growing up. So you may be having a variety of thoughts and feelings to all this information. If you've never experienced the need for this, I am so happy for you. And also I am so glad that this resource exists because times are hard for a lot of people. And getting support often there's a financial barrier to getting support. And there are real barriers, like you work a nine to five. The therapist is only open nine to three. And how am I supposed to get my kid help? And therapy can be expensive depending on where it's at. And there's just it doesn't even just have to be therapy, it could be medical care or a group art program for your kiddo. It could be all these different types of support. And I know that there are so many barriers to getting support. At Bright Light, I try to reduce the barriers in different ways, whether they're public or private. Sometimes I'm pretty private about it. Um sometimes I choose to just give complimentary sessions to people who need it. And, you know, that's not an Instagram post. I'm not going to say that or do that, but that's just a way where I can fill that need. You know, when the flood happened um in July last year, I offered a lot of free therapy to. To first responders and to families affected because how else are they, you know, supposed to get it? So it sounds like the Youth Respite Center is is a resource for people who maybe have mo and maybe not just financial barriers, but just maybe even emotional barriers.

Speaker 22:19

Yeah, absolutely. So a lot of the families that have come through have never even participated in any type of mental health service. So it's a very um warm and soft approach to introducing what mental health supports can look like versus going straight into trauma therapy or straight into hospitalization or straight into these higher levels of support. Um respite is the way I see it is it it's rest, it's a pause, let's come together, see what cards we're working with, and then go from there.

Speaker 1 22:59

It's like a little warm-up.

Speaker 23:02

Yeah.

Speaker 1 23:02

Yeah, that's important. Yeah. Because when we take somebody too far too fast, it's often not necessarily re-traumatizing, but it can be so incredibly intense. And it can really turn somebody off in terms of, well, if this is if it's gonna be this intense every time, I don't want to do it.

Speaker 23:23

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 23:26

You're listening to Couch Time with Cat. I'm Cat, and today we're talking about supporting young people and families through crisis with compassion, connection, and real tools for healing. And our guest is Lauren Mitchell.

The Coke Bottle Crisis Metaphor

Speaker 1 23:40

Okay, Lauren, how can a family help a kiddo through a crisis moment?

Speaker 23:47

So the way I see youth in crisis, or really anybody within the family system, right, in crisis is something in their world has shaken them so much that they are just they are not able to function the way that they need to, right? Their world's turned upside down. Um, I kind of think about this Coke bottle metaphor is you have a Coke bottle, you're getting shaken around, you know, you're getting shaken around outside, and then back inside, and then you drop it in your backpack, and you drop it on the purse, and then now it's time to talk, or now it's time to deal with the situation, and you open up that cap, that thing's gonna explode versus approaching crisis slowly. Let's say the crisis is the Coke bottle, opening it up slowly, closing it back up. Okay, we're not just ready yet. Opening it a little bit, letting those bubbles come down, closing back up. That was really good. We're gonna try again in a little bit. And continuing to do that. That's the way I see family being successful through crisis is coming together, meeting each other's needs, going as fast or as slow or as neutral as we need to, letting those bubbles simmer and kind of doing what we got to do.

Speaker 1 25:02

How do you help parents stay grounded, emotionally grounded when they're scared? Because I imagine they're like want to pop the whole thing open and talk about it and address it and fix it and move on.

Speaker 25:15

I think it's understanding the part of the parent that's wanting it to happen so quickly and normalizing that for them and maybe even for the child. It all comes from a place of love and intention and nurture, right? Typically, the parents that are so frantic and just want that really quick fix is because they're terrified. This is an extension of you. So normalizing this makes a lot of sense that your world is rocked because your children are your world, right? So validating those emotions, validating those parts, also letting the kid know this is coming from a place of love. They just want you to feel better. We understand better is not an option right now, but this is what we're working with. So typically, the families that come together in front of me, I normalize all of that for them. Like this, this makes sense. This is what we're working with. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but right now it's pretty freaking dark. And that's okay. We're in it together. So it's just letting the parent know there's no, there's no expectations, there's no timeline, there's not a quick fix. It just really there isn't. And it's on both ends. There's not a quick fix for the parent, there's not a quick fix for the kid, but together y'all can come up with a solution and and yeah, you'll you'll get there.

Speaker 1 26:34

Man, that must be so hard to hear.

Speaker 26:38

Yeah. Wow. It is. Most of the families I work with, I feel like I can just I want to put them all in little bubbles and just keep them safe and make sure that, you know, they do all the things to continue to heal and thrive. And yeah, it's it's tough work, but it's it's definitely much needed. I think it's a lot of sharing perspective with families, opening their mind, that crisis and and healing may happen 52 more times in your life, but the healing part will come. It it will absolutely come. And sometimes it's kind of like the price of love and the price of going through hardships is that beauty at the end of it, right? The memories, the resilience, the knowing that we got through something together. It's there's some prices to pay, but it it happens for sure.

What Teens Wish Adults Understood

Speaker 1 27:27

What do teenagers often wish adults understood?

Speaker 27:32

Oh my gosh, everything. The teenagers I work with uh think adults don't understand a damn thing. Yeah.

Speaker 1 27:40

Yeah, tell me about it.

Speaker 27:42

Um yeah, so I'm I'm I'm constantly in a space of also trying to understand them. Um, but the fact is, is they are exposed to far more than we ever imagined at that age. There is an overconsumption of social media. Kids are aware of what's going on in third world countries, you know, political advantages and disadvantages, um, just these headlines that are so traumatizing, um, the impacts of mental health, uh, isolation, bullying, all the, I mean, it is an overconsumption of topics and heavy things that they're having to see and hear every single day. On top of what they think is more positive, those everyday highlight reels of somebody traveling the country and these unrealistic lives that they portray and celebrities and body images. So they think it's all good, right? Like none of that's negative. But it's just this overconsumption of information that they're not quite able to process and deal with. So then they show up with anxiety and identity crisis and depression and just, you know, these existential crises at such an early age. And I think that most of the teens that I work with want the adults to understand, like, I'm hurting, I'm freaking out, this is a lot, I don't know who I am, and I just need you to know where I'm at. And that's kind of just been a common thread is that kids are hurting. And I think they just want their adults to understand I'm hurting and that should be okay.

Speaker 1 29:24

So we as adults need to allow the kid to have space to hurt and to just kind of accompany them.

Speaker 29:32

Exactly. So I think about even as adults, think about, you know, somebody that you love or your best friend. If somebody told them, hey, no more, no more tears. Like I don't want you hurting, I no, no more anger, no more crying. As adults, we would say, heck no, feel what you need to feel, like be in whatever it is that you need to be in. But as adults toward kids, we're like, no, no, what's going on? I need you to be better. Pick up, you know, my mom used to always say, pick up your big girl panties, you know, things like that. Um, and we're trying to, and it's coming from a place of love, right? We're trying to make sure that our kids are okay. But what happens if we let them not be okay and move through the not being okay? They're gonna be okay. They're gonna get there, but we have to give them the space and the love and the huge room that they need to feel what they need to feel, and we need to remain there as adults, as scared as we are, knowing I'm gonna be here with you, I'm gonna love you, and we're gonna get through it.

Backing Off To Build Resilience

Speaker 1 30:36

Yeah, girl. The yes, agree, agree, agree. I don't have a teenager, but my eldest, I think what has brought us closer together is that I have backed off. Yeah, like I just backed off. Yeah. The just I don't wake her up for school in the morning, I don't make her lunch, I don't make her breakfast. Yeah. Like I just backed off and just I ask her more about herself and I um more about her experience, and then I just listen. Yeah. I don't fix anything anymore. Yeah, I just don't, you know, the other day somebody said something pretty mean to her at jujitsu, and I got off my car and I was like, I'm gonna go inside. And she said, Please don't. I was like, why not? And she said, I'll work it out. And she was in pain. Yeah. And a crying, and I was like, I need to do something. Somebody was mean to you. I need to fix this.

Speaker 31:37

Right.

Speaker 1 31:39

And man, it was hard to get back in the car. I was like, I will kill that kid.

Speaker 31:44

Yeah, absolutely. Because we go into, we we definitely go into fix it mode because that's how we're wired as parents, as guardians. It's, you know, anybody that's caring for a child, you are wired to protect, right? But at what point does a child need to move through something and gain that knowledge of, oh wow, I moved through that. I'm awesome. I'm resilient. I am equipped. And that that's the golden nugget right there for a kid to feel that they can stand on their two feet and they can conquer the world and I can go home and brag about it to my people.

Speaker 1 32:22

I agree. It builds self-efficacy and self-confidence. And man, it's hard to watch people we love go through hard times. But I will say the the hardest times in my life have been the best in terms of helping me feel strong and capable. And, you know, another hard time comes and I can remember, oh, I did that. So I can do this.

Speaker 32:46

Absolutely. Yeah. And it's funny because I mean, most adults will have their story, right? Like where everything shifted, or, you know, my hard time story and my resilience story. And we thrive knowing that we have those parts of ourselves, but we forget kids are also thriving in those moments too. So yeah, your kid may come home and have a really bad day or a really bad month or a really bad year. But when they get to the other side of it, the amount of golden nuggets that they're gonna have in their pocket, knowing that they conquered it and they've developed resilience, that's a beautiful thing.

Resources And Closing Support

Speaker 1 33:21

What a beautiful place to wrap. Lauren, thank you so much for being here. We're gonna have you on next week as well. Lauren, if people want to find MHDD or you at MHDD, where can they find you?

Speaker 33:35

So if you go to hillcountrymhd.org, you will see our website and it'll have every single location and county and resource that we have on that website. So just navigate through there. It's very user-friendly, and yeah, you can get connected to services.

Speaker 1 33:52

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