It has been almost nine years since I walked through the doors of Yellowbrick. I can confidently say that without Yellowbrick, I would not be where I am today. Since completing the program at Yellowbrick, I graduated college, started a new career, went back for a graduate degree, found a loving partner, and have a full, rich life in which I feel happy, safe, and secure. Yellowbrick saved my life, and I will be forever grateful to everyone there.

R

Thank you, Dr. Viner! I can’t believe it has been close to 10 years since my stay at YB. I still have such fond memories and it truly was one of the most formidable experiences of my life. I would not be where I am today without you and the YB staff.

I wanted to thank you for all the time you spent helping me get my life on track. You’ve had a lasting impact on my life, the kind that I’m never going to forget. Best wishes for the end of this year, the new year, and every year after that.

I have gone from thinking that I don’t need people in my life to know the value and importance that relationships play in my life. I have moved away from my notion that things are the only thing I need… Most importantly, I want to live and experience all that life offers. I don’t want to hurt myself because I know I am better than that. I could not have accomplished this without Yellowbrick. I truly became a young adult, whereas when I came in, I was just a teenager. The freedom that this program offers really made me accountable for my own actions and showed me the wonders of life and that I didn’t have to hurt myself. Now I truly know that there are things in life to enjoy and live for. Yellowbrick, I truly found my way home and I thank you for that.

….Yellowbrick is a wonderful, amazing place that has dramatically changed my life for the better. And I’ve personally witnessed the staff and clinicians here not only changing, but SAVING lives. I’ve gone from being practically unable to emotionally read, much less connect with, other people, to being a dramatically more sensitive, and therefore more connected person. My relationship with my mother, which for almost two decades had been rocky at best, has done a complete 180. I have learned to grieve at Yellowbrick. I have learned to understand and connect with the feelings, thoughts, and emotive processes of others. I have learned, and perhaps more importantly come to accept, that the world is not black and white, and how to navigate the gray areas. And I am indescribably, irrevocably better off for it.

I was one of the first residents of Yellowbrick. I am happy to see it still running. I am married with two beautiful girls and am working as a registered nurse. Just wanted to touch base. Thank you for teaching me DBT as I find it a useful tool even today. I really do love and use the skills taught to me all those years ago. It still blows my mind when I think of how far I’ve come.

I have so many positive memories of my time at YellowBrick and want to thank you for creating such an amazing program and community. I know that YellowBrick has grown tremendously from when I was there- but the core of non-coercive treatment, using people’s strengths to help them with their deficits, being open to people making mistakes, and learning from their mistakes- that’s what I know will always be at the heart of YellowBrick.

I wasn’t functional when I arrived at YB, but you helped me learn what I needed to do to create the life I have today which includes being a certified peer mental health specialist and generally functioning well despite dealing with some of life’s hardest things at the same time. I keep moving forward and am doing very well thanks to what my family provided for me like my time at YellowBrick. Thank you all for helping me achieve a life very worth living.

I had to share this momentous milestone as Yellowbrick encouraged me and gave me the strength to get back in school. I didn’t think I was ready, but you showed me otherwise and I am sitting here as a BSW in Social Work and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0! Many times we don’t know our strength until we take that first step, and I’m so glad Yellowbrick was there with me as I took my first step. All I can say is never give up! Several years ago I was on the hospice route preparing to die and now I’m preparing to show others to fight for their life. Much gratitude to the Yellowbrick staff, and please never stop encouraging your clients because we’re going to get there!