Teen navigates loneliness epidemic with MultiCare Rockwood Clinic by her side
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 “serious loneliness.”
Nera Daugherty, who was 18 in 2020, could relate.
“I had just moved into my own apartment, had just been broken up with and school just shut down,” she explains. “The mall also shut down where I worked, so there was nothing new, and I was stuck being completely alone for the first time.”
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.
At MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, Nera met social worker Amy Hagins, LASWA, CMHS, and found her support system.
“Amy 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,” Nera says. “Instead 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.”
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.
Nera herself went to therapy for about six months. Today, she reports being on a good path thanks to all she learned from Amy.
“Depression and anxiety don’t really go away, but I’m definitely in a better spot than I was then,” Nera shares. “I think I handle my emotions and life struggles better.”
And a little skateboarding as an outlet doesn’t hurt either.
You can support youth like Nera who are navigating mental health challenges by donating at give.multicare.org/communitycare.
