“I got to see some people that were way more serious than me, so that also kind of opened my eyes. It was really far away from home, and it was different. We would wake up every morning at eight. They would serve us breakfast, take our vitals, make sure we ate all of our breakfast, stuff like that, so we would get points. I don’t know why we got points, but we did. We would have a group session where we would all talk about our issues and just get anything off our chest. We also did a lot of arts and crafts, bonding activities and sometimes we would have times to ourself in our rooms. There was really nothing to do in your rooms. The rooms were literally white walls and a bed, so it was boring. That’s basically what we would do, and at night we would have snacks along with watching half of a movie before we would have to go to bed at 10. The first night I got there it was like four in the morning, so I was very confused, but I didn’t know anybody. I’m a really shy person, so I had to push myself to get to know people and make friends. Some nights were really hard. I would cry because I would want to go home. You’re in your room alone, and I didn’t have a roommate or anything. I did make friends though. There were a lot of really nice people there. My advice to people out there that are struggling with personal issues and stuff is just to hang in there. Everyone says that, but it does get better. It takes time, and I think you shouldn’t be ashamed of trying to get or wanting the help you need that is out there. So, I think that is really important, especially if you’re in high school. A lot of what people are going through is kind of taboo, or they don’t really talk about it because they are scared of getting made fun of or being judged. I think it’s important for everyone to get the help they need.”