For Cheryl C., the last weekend of September didn't just mark her 34th
birthday. It was also the last weekend that she would be spending as a
resident of Crosswinds, the Legacy Treatment Services-operated adult
mental health respite program located in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Cheryl was being successfully discharged from the program that had been
her home since March 2021 and moving in to a nearby apartment with
her sister.
"She will be a good support for me, as we'll be for each other," said
Cheryl, who will also be working as a customer service associate for a local
Wawa. While working and touching base with Crosswinds, Cheryl will also be continuing outpatient therapy sessions with Journeys Counseling Service, which Crosswinds staff help her arrange.
"She's come a long way – a complete 180," said Crosswinds Program Director Morgan Sweeney of
Cheryl. "She's worked very hard and we're very proud of her."
Life looked much different to Cheryl when she first checked in to Crosswinds, a safe, supportive
environment for adults to stay on a short-term basis when experiencing or are on the verge of a mental
health crisis. The program offers peer support, case management, education, support groups,
medication services, co-occurring substance abuse services, Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and follow-up support. She was in a hospital at the time, having been recommended to go to Crosswinds after having recently planning to commit suicide.
"I had spent five years trying to get sober from drinking alcohol and it was not going well," Cheryl said. "I was living in Denver in 2019 when my brother died and I took it hard. I moved back to New Jersey to be with my mom, but I kept going in and out of the hospital and spent a number of times in and out of
rehab.
"By the end of 2020, I had been working a little at a luncheonette and then worked for a short time at a
ShopRite at the beginning of 2021. But I spent whatever money I made on alcohol and I couldn't hold a
job. I was barely eating, but I was gaining weight. It didn't make sense."
It was the day after she came up with a plan to take her own life that Cheryl asked her mom to take her
to the hospital.
According to Cheryl, the biggest benefit to her being at Crosswinds was the sense of routine. She woke
up at the same time every day, took her medication, made phone calls and appointments, took care of
her hygiene, participated in group discussions with other residents and didn't need to worry about bills. Crosswinds also enforced a 12 – 4 pm break from watching TV, encouraging her and residents to do other activities. By the last couple months of her time at Crosswinds, Cheryl had even been serving as a bit of a role model to other residents.
"She used to be very reserved and not communicative about her trauma," said Sweeney. "But now the
other consumers look at her as a positive influence."
"I'm willing to offer advice," Cheryl said. "I try to tell the people who come to Crosswinds how things
work. If you utilize the staff and the resources they have there, you can get it done.
"Crosswinds allowed me to do my recovery my way. I had been in a sober house the year before and
they really tried to force things down my throat. But I didn't feel pressured at Crosswinds and I really
appreciated that. Everyone's journey is different, but I feel that if you follow the program's rules, you
can gain control over your recovery."
Cheryl has some short-term goals following her discharge. She just purchased a car. She would like to
paint more, ride her bike, go to the beach and "get out into nature". She's learning how to knit and
crochet. She may take try to take new classes to further her career path.
"I'd like to just pay my bills and focus on maintaining where I'm at for a while and not go from 0 to 100
(miles per hour)," she said.
But wherever her path takes her, Cheryl will not forget the help she received at Crosswinds.
"There was always someone there to talk to, whether it was Morgan, (Program Supervisor) Sheri
(Johnston) or (Support Specialist) Judy (Sheehan)," Cheryl said. "They helped give me advice, listened to me and helped me with paperwork. I told them many times that I wouldn't have made as much progress in such a short time without them. Leaving them is bittersweet, but I plan to keep in touch."
Crosswinds Peer Respite, a Legacy Treatment Services program, serves as a crisis alternative that aims to avoid the repetitive cycle of psychiatric hospitalization. For more information about Crosswinds or to
make a referral, call 848-221-3022 or visit the Legacy website at www.legacytreatment.org.