News Photo by Kayla Wikaryasz On Friday, Light of Hope Clubhouse members and staff eat lunch together. Light of Hope Clubhouse offers service-based resources for individuals with mental illness.

ALPENA — Most might not consider conversations about mental health exciting conversations to have. However, many Alpena residents are passionate about mental health and mental health awareness.

Lindsey Dauost, a licensed master social worker at Unity Health in Alpena, offers a safe space for her clients to open up about trauma and other mental health struggles. Some challenges Dauost sees her clients facing while seeking mental health treatment involve stigma surrounding mental illness or poor insurance coverage.

“Most people have high deductibles,” she said.

Dauost explained that mental health treatment is too expensive for most individuals to pay out of pocket. This can make the job of helping individuals more difficult, as financial hardship may exasperate a mental illness.

“In order to provide good therapy, patients need good insurance coverage,” she said.

Dauost also believes that the demand for mental health treatment in Alpena is greater than the number of professionals equipped to provide those services.

“There are not enough therapists to meet the demand,” she said.

As far as topics that are concerning Alpena citizens, Dauost said the economy, politics, and finances are concerning her patients the most right now. She explained that people in the Alpena area also suffer from seasonal depression and loneliness.

Dauost said research shows white women between the ages of 18 and 44 are most likely to seek mental health treatment. Recently, more and more young people are looking for support.

“Gen Zers are very proactive at seeking mental health treatment,” Dauost said.

A senior at Alpena High School, Cassandra VanHorn, has struggled with her own mental health.

“Throughout middle school and high school I have been battling with depression and anxiety, more specifically social anxiety,” VanHorn said. “I have been through ups and downs throughout my journey, and it has been a back and forth struggle that affects my daily life.”

VanHorn admitted that it was hard to find adequate support in Alpena due to limited resources. However, VanHorn has been able to find a support system and is currently seeing a therapist for her anxiety and depression.

VanHorn advises everyone to seek mental health treatment despite the hurdles they may face and said individuals can find support anywhere.

“Support can take many forms, it doesn’t have to be a human, even a pet or positive activity can provide you with support needed in hard times,” she said.

An Alpena resident, Charlotte Goralczyk, also has struggled with depression since she was a teen, and even more so after she had her second child. Goralczyk said that after moving to Alpena three and a half years ago, she was able to get established with the Alpena Alcona Health Center. That made it easier to receive treatment.

Like VanHorn, Goralczyk had some advice for people who were struggling with mental health.

“I would have them sit down and breathe slowly,” said Goralczyk. “But I would ask them to please seek help.”

Another Alpena resident, Christy Heimky, said she began her mental health journey when she was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders. Her doctor suggested seeking therapy to help manage her pain. Heimky thought the suggestion was “laughable,” but she sought treatment anyway.

Heimky’s therapist was not able to minimize her pain, but Heimky said it allowed her to start dealing with past traumas that she tried to bury.

Heimky said, “I did not want to face [my mental health] because of all the physical pain I was in.”

Due to her physical health and mental health concerns, Heimky described feeling “discarded” and “alone” when first seeking treatment.

“I just wanted people to fix me,” she said.

Now an established patient at MyMichgan Medical Center Alpena, Heimky has felt supported by her therapists and is thankful for the care she now receives.

On the flip side, Heimky said that her husband, a combat veteran, has faced hurdles while seeking mental health treatment through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

“The VA drops the ball,” Heimky said.

While seeking a new therapist, Heimky explained that her husband waited seven months before the VA provided him with a practitioner that better fit his needs. Even then, Heimky said that veterans are not properly looked after.

“They’re forgotten,” she said.

Heimky also spoke about the importance of self-advocacy.

“People are too afraid to advocate for themselves … They do have the strength to speak up,” she said.

One resource for mental health support in Alpena is the Light of Hope Clubhouse.

Light of Hope Clubhouse is a part of Clubhouse Michigan, a network of other clubhouses around Michigan that are service-based resource centers providing support for people living with mental illnesses.

Light of Hope Clubhouse and Clubhouse Michigan sit under the umbrella organization, Clubhouse International. This organization provides service-based resources for individuals with mental illnesses across the world.

Jason Dagner, a social practitioner at the Light of Hope Clubhouse, explained that the center provides community, housing, and employment support for its members. These are just a few of the services they provide.

The Clubhouse serves four counties: Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency, and Presque Isle. Dagner explained that the next nearest clubhouse from Bay City is Petoskey, so the Clubhouse located in Alpena serves a large population of individuals in need.

Dagner explained that Medicaid funds the center as well as it can. However, to become a member, applicants must qualify for Medicaid. In that sense, funding can be a hurdle for individuals who do not necessarily meet Medicaid requirements.

Despite the challenges, Dagner said that the Light of Hope Clubhouse is “The best kept secret,” of Alpena. The Clubhouse, however, is on a mission to change that. Staff and members are working hard to engage the community more by hosting a public open house in May.

Dagner reflected on the amazing work that the center does for its members, saying, “Everyone needs a community.”

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.