Learning to move forward – Elizabeth’s story

At 16, Elizabeth was a bright, ambitious girl who had already endured more than her share of social and family challenges when her mother took her own life.

Determined to “get over it and move on”, Elizabeth seemed fine on the outside. But she wasn’t fine. Her ongoing grief and guilt, combined with her self-imposed pressure to get top grades and be perfect were taking a mental and emotional toll. She began experimenting with drugs, staying out all night and having violent arguments with her brother and father.

After coming to Lumenus Elizabeth said her therapist helped her figure everything out, including how to stop associating everything that happened to her with her mother’s death. Lumenus also advocated for Elizabeth with authorities at her school and also helped her learn coping skills to manage the pressures of high school…and the pressures Elizabeth put on herself.

After graduating from high school Elizabeth was accepted into the Honours Communication Studies program at Carleton University in Ottawa…and one of the first people she shared this happy news with was her Lumenus therapist because, to quote Elizabeth, “she played a huge part in my success”.