A note from Trish Thacker
Two of the most powerful themes we see when working with our clients are hope and community, and the role that both can play in healing.
Hope is the belief that things can get better, and that we can positively impact our lives. It dampens the anxiousness in our brains, activating chemicals and neural pathways that move us to connect with others. It’s restorative and creates space for healing. For our team here at Guild, hope is the belief that what we do matters, that we can empower people to improve their lives. It’s the foundation of our organization’s vision, allowing us to help our clients see beyond their current circumstances to a brighter and more meaningful future. Hope is the foundation of everything we do.
We see the power of community through the clients who come through our doors — the power that connecting with a person or group of people who understand and accept them can have on their worldview. This is important, because love and belonging are irreducible needs that can only be met in relationships and in community. When we are connected to community, we share our emotions with each other. We support and uplift one another. We carry and share hope for each other.
We believe that community is best grown and carried by hope, and at Guild we multiply hope by creating different layers of community. We start with the client’s chosen community, the place where they feel safe and most connected. Then, we add new layers where needed to support the client. Community can be small, like working with people one on one. It might mean a multi-disciplinary team or several different programs coordinating to support a client. It can mean connecting with other clients at our Community Support Program drop-in center. And it often means all of these things put together. These layers of community build on each other instead of substituting one for another.
Many of us here at Guild feel a personal connection to our work. We have friends or family living with mental illness or significant mental health challenges. We know this work is critical. And for us, this work is also personal. We hope for our clients the same way we hope for our own loved ones, and we know from experience that clients best achieve sustainable wellness in their home and in their community of choice. That’s why we’re diving into culture, staffing models, and process improvement, doing everything we can to build communities for our clients … with a resilience that is firmly rooted in hope.
Together, we can build a world filled with hope and possibility. Join us by making a gift today.