In June 2017, Makayla’s home life became untenable. At 17 years old, she found herself in Sweetser’s Child Crisis Unit in Saco—a place she called home for seven months.
“Before I came to the Sweetser Crisis Unit, I was self-harming to show my mom and her roommate how I was feeling because they wouldn’t listen to me verbally. The staff gave me my voice back,” recalled Makayla of the valuable coping skills she learned. “They taught me how to express myself without feeling the need to self-harm. They also gave me a stress ball to keep my hands busy when stressed or anxious. I learned to remove myself from whatever situation is causing my stress, anxiety, or madness and be able to calm myself down and then re-approach the situation. It’s been five years since I self-harmed and I’m quite proud of myself.”
She also found solace at the Saco Campus’ Ricker Farm.
“When I felt angry, the staff would take me to the farm. I favored the pigs so I would sit with them. I am an animal person so sitting with animals kind of helps me calm down. The staff would talk and listen to me. They were basically there for me when my mother couldn’t be,” she said.
She fondly recalls the Sweetser staff. “They were very nice and understanding. They were there for me during the holidays when I was there. They helped me with basic life skills. They gave me more freedom than the other kids because I was turning 18 soon and I needed to learn those skills.”
While Makayla resided on Sweetser’s Saco campus, she attended the school there. She believes had she continued living at home, she would not have been able to attend school at all and would’ve never learned the essential life skills she gained at Sweetser—skills she credits with giving her the ability to live on her own now.
One of those skills was cooking. “They [Sweetser staff] would teach me how to make some meals.”
“I was able to regain the freedom that I didn’t have at home and get the life skills and the ability to function on my own. Without Sweetser and New Beginnings, I wouldn’t have been able to find the job that I have now or live in my own apartment.”
Today, Makayla is a single mom to five-month old, Rosaline, and works full-time as a Personal Support Specialist (PSS) at a residential facility for the elderly—a job she loves.
“I love helping the elderly,” she said. “I’ve known that my whole life. As a child, I loved helping my grandparents. When I was at the Crisis Unit, I was always helping the other children, especially the little ones. That’s how I knew being a PSS was right for me.”
Learn more about what services are available to you by calling Sweetser’s PromiseLine at 1-800-434-3000. For crisis response anytime, call 1-888-568-1112.