While I was a senior in Highschool Because of my mental health I participated in the out of school program. Through this program I did a partial inpatient treatment. Partial inpatient is when you go to a building during when you would have school with a set of a few counselors and other kids who experience similar issues to you. Kinda sounds scary and at some points but it honestly was because of how open the conversations were with complete strangers. 

I was sent to this program because of how severe my anxiety and depression was at that time. Through this program I learned about myself and others and why we feel the way we do. Daily we had lessons on things like cognitive distortions and self care and through those lessons I gained a stronger understanding of who I was and what I needed. Cognitive distortions are usually negative thoughts that our mind convinces us are true and through this lesson I found how many of these I use daily and toxic it is towards my well-being. Thats just one example of all the knowledge I gained with these lessons we had. The atmosphere was so comfortable and welcoming. We all sat on a rug in the middle of the room sometime in chairs or on the bean bags in a circle which made it a very intimate conversation. I had never been so open about how I felt than in that room and it was so helpful for me to let it all out.

My perspective about my mental health and others changed completely because of my time there. I felt like less of a burden to my friends and family, I realized how strong I really was, and also heard so many stories that opened my eyes from the other kids there with me. Before going I felt worthless and I came out feeling like I was worth something and it was the best feeling.