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Lean On Me – Really

If you need support, contact me – REALLY! I know we hear it all the time but when you’re in crisis, it can feel near impossible to reach out for help or even know what to say. My passion truly is helping families who are struggling with mental illness. It fills me with so much gratitude to offer my support to others.

From personal experience, I know how isolated, vulnerable, defeated and hopeless a parent can feel when faced with a child who struggles day-after-day. And, as a parent recently said to me, “You just don’t feel understood – you’re speaking a language your friends can’t understand.” And it’s true, like the saying goes, “Unless you’ve been there, you cannot truly appreciate what someone is going through.”

When we first sent Chloe to residential treatment at age 13, I made it my mission to share our family’s story and struggles with others through my blog in an effort to offer hope and share with others. First, I wanted to assure other parents facing the same challenges that they were not alone. Second, I wanted to educate others about the shame and barriers the mentally ill and their families face while trying to access equitable healthcare, education, insurance coverage and legal representation.

Now that Chloe has been home for two years, life has balanced out and she is doing great, I feel like I have the stability, strength and clarity to help others.

The holidays can be especially difficult. The transition in routines and added activities can trigger situations you might not typically expect. Plus, the extra isolation due to COVID can be a recipe for disaster.

If it’s time for you to seek support or you have a friend or family member who are struggling with mental illness in the home, please reach out to me – Andrea. You can CONTACT US HERE to submit a question or set a time to talk.

Andrea Berryman Childreth

Author Andrea Berryman Childreth

Andrea Berryman Childreth is an award-winning author of the book, ON THE EDGE: Help and hope for parenting children with mental illness, founder of The Lemonade Project, advocate and parent coach. She has first-hand experience with parenting a mentally ill daughter and has struggled with mental illness, herself. Her goal is to help empower people to openly share their stories and improve access to equitable mental health services.

More posts by Andrea Berryman Childreth