Parents from the PPAL groups on the north shore find that the support and help they’ve received is invaluable. Here’s what they have to say:

“Nancy emailed, “When I was at the end of my rope, PPAL helped a lot and extended my rope so I wasn’t so hopeless. The family support specialist was most helpful at the IEP last year; she goes above and beyond her role in any way she can when someone is alone in the “lion’s den.”

Deb writes: “There are not many places that we can feel welcome but when this happens it’s priceless. I have even gone so far as to recommend this service to others in different areas of Massachusetts because networking works!”

A new group member says, “My daughter and I were invited to attend one of the PPAL meetings held on a Friday night. I had heard that both my daughter and I would feel welcome. As a single parent, I was comforted by the fact that my daughter would meet other challenging children and have FUN with them. I was looking forward to having some time to myself and to meet other parents. I found that I am not the only parent who has moments of real despair, moments that I feel that the walls are caving in, moments when no one understands what it is like to have a child with special needs, moments when I am thought of as a mom who does not set limits or discipline my child, moments of sadness that my child feels different and has no friends, moments that I feel that I have no place to escape. We were met with warmth and smiles from everyone in the room. All the parents described his/her child’s plight with care and love in their voices. Every member of the family is affected by the special needs child. No one escapes. You believe that your child’s problems are insurmountable until you listen to others’ experiences. No one sits in judgment as everyone understands that what is most important is your child, you and your family. By hearing other peoples’ challenges you appreciate that you are not the only one who is suffering and feeling overwhelmed but the most important factor is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE ANYMORE. In the last two weeks, I have gained much insight, information and feel that our group leader is an angel from heaven. Her knowledge and understanding of all the challenges that we as parent face is most comforting and truly appreciated. It is with much gratitude and appreciation that I now know that my daughter and I have found friends that we can both enjoy.

Meryl states, “PPAL has been a great place to learn that there are other people out there besides me to are going through challenging times.”

Yet another parent, Brenda, writes, “I have always found ideas that were useful for my situation and the meetings are informative and confidential. The support group leader ALWAYS gets right back to me when I have questions or concerns.”

Finally, Tara tells us that “The world is a better place because of PPAL!”

Being a transition-aged youth with a diagnosed mental illness is not easy, especially when you feel that
supports are completely out of reach. Imagine being 24, not knowing basic life-skills, being homeless
and not knowing when or if life can get worse than it already is. That is the reality for a lot of transition-
aged youth with mental, emotional and behavioral needs including myself.

I first came to know PPAL ten years ago when I joined the youth group called “The O.T.H.E.R.S.” Both
the group and PPAL were a great resource for me as it was a place where I could be myself without the
fear of the stigma I was used to enduring in the community. It was there that I finally realized that there
were other youth like me, and like them, I could rise up against my struggles and thrive. Having PPAL as
a support in my life has most definitely been a big help in developing resiliency.

I am now at a place in my life that I would call stable. I can hold a job, and I can attend college. I can
lead a normal life, something I thought would have never been possible because of the everyday
challenges of dealing with my anxiety. I have also taken on a larger role at PPAL: Youth Mentor for our
3 youth groups. I can take what I’ve learned through-out my experiences and help the youth see that
there’s more to life than their mental illness, just as PPAL did for me 10 years ago.

Support from families in my support group has helped me know that I am not alone.  I have made new friends, learned that I am not alone in a crisis and for the first time, felt normal.  For the first time, I have hope for the future.

My son became depressed and overwhelmed by anxiety in the 8th grade.  We were deeply worried and feeling persistently disappointed with the lack of services available.  As you can imagine, my husband and I were devastated, scared and feeling hopelessly unable to help our son.  We watched him spiral downward, becoming more depressed and anxious than ever.

One thing that has really made  a difference is getting as much information as I can and learning what do when the system doesn’t work.  I realize now that I can cope with a lot of different issues and face another day even when all seems lot.  Today I am my son’s best advocate.