Lacey's Story
At a young age, Lacey experienced complex trauma. She handled this trauma with aggression and explosive outbursts.
"I was going through a lot of hard times, and I was just really immature just because I went through a lot of stuff growing up, and I had a lot of trauma, and so I would just react to everything," said Lacey.
Due to her reactiveness, Lacey was referred to Cricket, a Roots and Wings worker at The Family Centre, by her son's principal at Montrose elementary school.
At first, Lacey was nervous about meeting Cricket. She was concerned about how they would connect. It wasn't easy for her to build relationships with people. Once Lacey met Cricket, she felt very comfortable.
"I realized she was super kind and compassionate, and she really took the time to listen to whatever I had to say."
Lacey and Cricket worked together to help build Lacey's self-awareness and resilience. Lacey feels the support she has received helped her mature and view her trauma differently.
"I've learned a lot about myself, mental health, the proper way to deal with things and to respond, not react. She's just showed me different things I can do, and she's given me the proper support during those times."
Cricket also supported Lacey with accessing other programs and professionals. This was very important for Lacey since all three of her children are diagnosed with disabilities.
"She's always branched that door and that gap between me and other programs, making sure that I feel supported and comfortable whenever I meet with them."
With Cricket's support, Lacey also attended counselling sessions at The Family Centre.
Overall, Lacey has benefited the most from her one-on-one time with Cricket. She became educated on the link between trauma and physical health, the brain, and relationships.
"She would teach me about different things that I go through and why I respond that way. She's attended a lot of medical appointments with me to learn different things about my mental health and even things as far as my blood work results. It's crazy how certain things in your blood actually can connect to childhood trauma, neglect, and your mental health."
Learning this information was bittersweet for Lacey. Even though it was hard for her, she found it necessary to move forward. Learning this information has allowed her to understand herself more and, in turn, be better for her children.
Lacey believes that anyone interested in the Roots and Wings program should give it a try. She finds the support to be beneficial for personal growth.
"I'm very fortunate and thankful that I had time to work with Cricket to get to a better place with my children and with my own personal life so I can feel confident being on my own in the real world without her."
Moving forward, Lacey plans to become more independent. She is counteracting her fears and anxiety about driving and will be getting her license. Her goals are to practice more self-care and keep doing things that will benefit her and her children.