Jennifer’s Journey: Finding Hope Through Telehealth Therapy
How ReachLink Can Help A Pessimist: Jennifer’s Story
Jennifer grew up with a challenging home life and had poor experiences with therapy when she was young. As an adult, she struggled with low self-esteem and relationship difficulties with her husband, who lived with substance use disorder. Following traumatic experiences with her husband, Jennifer developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and became overwhelmed with grief, anxiety, and depression. It was during this difficult time that she discovered telehealth therapy and decided to give it a try.
Through ReachLink’s telehealth platform, Jennifer connected with Keri, a licensed therapist who offered the professional support and guidance she truly deserved. With telehealth therapy, Jennifer was able to develop a more solution-oriented mindset and release the anger she felt toward her husband. If you believe that, like Jennifer, you might benefit from telehealth therapy, please know that quality mental health support is always available.
Below is Jennifer’s story, lightly edited for clarity.
Jennifer’s Previous Experience with Therapy
“Before trying telehealth therapy, I had seen numerous in-person counselors growing up, which left me with a very negative impression of counseling. I was raised in an abusive household and my normal reactions to the neglect and abuse led my guardians to force me into counseling against my will. I was diagnosed and medicated for various conditions that I didn’t actually have.
Unmet Expectations and Distrust
I never had any input in choosing my counselors, and adults rarely believed me about the real issues I was facing, so eventually I stopped trying. I had sworn off counseling completely because of these experiences. As an adult, I was bitter that professionals who were trained to recognize these problems had completely missed what was happening in my home life.”
Jennifer’s Adult Challenges
“As an adult, I still struggle with self-esteem issues from my childhood, and I’ve never really felt like I’ve thrived. However, what finally pushed me to seek help was my husband’s addiction. We had been together for 11 years when he became addicted to prescription pills in 2014 while I was pregnant with our son, which eventually progressed to heroin.
Trauma and Its Aftermath
I discovered his addiction in 2015 when I found him overdosed, which left me with PTSD. After a shaky year of recovery, he experienced a devastating relapse that completely derailed our lives and our once-beautiful relationship. In February, he suddenly left me and our son without warning, and we had no idea what was happening. He left us with nothing, forcing me to move from North Carolina to Kentucky to live with my mother. The grief, anxiety, and depression were overwhelming. I was emotionally paralyzed.
Battling Pessimistic Thoughts
At my lowest point, I convinced myself that my son would be better off without me and that my life was over because the love of my life was gone. My husband’s addiction triggered a series of events that snowballed out of control. I was heartbroken, my anxiety was unbearable, I couldn’t find any support or relief, and I was overwhelmed by the prospect of being a single parent with no job skills or employment history.”
Discovering Telehealth Therapy
“During this crisis, I came across an advertisement for telehealth therapy and decided to give it a chance. I was drawn to virtual therapy because of its convenience. Having lost everything, including transportation, I couldn’t regularly visit an in-person counselor.
My situation was also so emotionally charged that I probably wouldn’t have been able to speak about it face-to-face.
Finding Support Through Telehealth
When I first signed up for telehealth therapy, I saw myself as beyond help—a perpetually dysfunctional adult capable of nothing but failure. I believed I failed at everything I attempted. I felt I was a terrible mother and too unintelligent to achieve any academic goals. I was consumed with anger toward my husband, combined with an inability to believe he could recover or that he truly loved me. My anger caused numerous problems in our marriage, and I could never let it go.”
How Telehealth Therapy Changed Jennifer’s Life
“Now, I consider myself a ‘recovering pessimist,’ and I’ve become more solution-oriented. My goals are clearer, and I no longer feel angry at my husband.
My therapist, Keri, had me complete an exercise that sounded very simple—and honestly, I was skeptical and thought it seemed rather ‘hippity dippity.’ She asked me to write a letter to heroin to help separate my husband from his addiction. That task marked the beginning of significant changes for me. It was as if years of accumulated anger simply melted away.
Professional Support for Mental Health Challenges
Keri helped me create positive affirmations to improve my self-esteem. While I’m not completely ‘cured’ in that area yet, I now catch myself when I have unhelpful thoughts. At 29 years old, that’s a significant achievement after nearly three decades of telling myself I was worthless, stupid, ugly, and so on. I was also surprised that Keri helped with practical matters like finding local resources and explaining college application processes. She helped me expand spiritually and provided helpful articles and podcasts that comforted me during intense periods of grief. She supported me when I had no one else.
Dealing Better with My Husband’s Addiction and Relapse
My husband returned at the end of June, supposedly after completing treatment. Thanks to what I learned from Keri, I was able to approach our relationship and his addiction differently. I could truly love him again and express that love supportively. I was also able to discuss problems without our conversations deteriorating into arguments or breakups, which had been common for us.
Finding Strength Through Self-Improvement
Unfortunately, my husband relapsed and left again at the end of July, about a week ago. I’m devastated, but because of the counseling I’ve received, I know that I was able to express my love for him in a healthy, positive way. He commented on how much I’ve changed and grown, and how wonderful that was. Though heartbroken, I take some small comfort in knowing I finally handled things right regarding him and his addiction. I spent many nights afraid he would die without knowing I still loved him, and at least this time, if that happens, I know that he knows.”
Telehealth Therapy Can Help You Overcome Mental Health Challenges
If Jennifer’s struggles resonate with you, please understand that relief and improvement are possible for you too. If traditional in-person therapy hasn’t been effective for you or isn’t currently accessible, telehealth therapy might be beneficial. Research shows that online therapy is effective for various mental health challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
With ReachLink’s telehealth platform, you can connect with a licensed therapist from your home or anywhere with a stable internet connection, ensuring you receive consistent and confidential care regardless of your physical location. This accessibility removes many traditional barriers to mental health support, such as transportation issues, scheduling conflicts, or concerns about stigma in local communities.
Jennifer’s journey illustrates that healing and growth are possible, even when past experiences with therapy have been discouraging. Telehealth therapy provides a flexible, compassionate, and effective option for those seeking help, offering not only professional guidance but also hope for a brighter future. Whether you are facing anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health challenges, ReachLink is here to support you every step of the way.
If you are ready to take the first step toward improving your mental health, consider reaching out through ReachLink’s telehealth platform today. Like Jennifer, you too can find strength, resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose through the power of accessible and personalized therapy.
