This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re proud to highlight our High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) program. HFW is an evidence-based model of individual and family support. Our HFW team collaborates with children and their families to create personalized “family plans” that helps achieve desired goals while overcoming challenges to achieve their unique priorities. We’re honored to spotlight some of our incredible HFW team members from Greensboro, NC.
Top row: Tanya, Jessica. Bottom row: Christopher, Madison
Tanya is a High Fidelity Wraparound Facilitator, who empowers individuals and families by identifying their strengths, fostering meaningful connections and ensuring they have access to the resources they need to thrive. “When I was 16, a burst blood vessel in my brain changed my life forever. I had to rebuild my confidence, relearn to trust my decisions and navigate the weight of being judged before I even spoke. That experience cultivated my deep passion for helping others find their strength, voice and support systems when life feels overwhelming. No one should have to navigate life’s challenges alone. I often ask, ‘Are you living or existing?’ to spark meaningful conversations about personal growth and the future they want to create.”
Jessica is a High Fidelity Wraparound Family Support Specialist. She was raised in foster care before joining the US Army, where she experienced severe PTSD and anxiety. She’s also transparent about her substance use journey. She is also a Special Education Advocate and Positive Parenting Specialist. “Being a family support partner has allowed me to use my lived experience as a mother of six children to help other parents and to be the support I never had. My oldest child is currently out of home placement and looking back, I think it could have been avoided. All of the families and youth we support need the same thing, to feel heard and be seen. My own family has experienced as many hardships as a family can encounter and that doesn’t make me a specialist, but instead proves there’s life and hope on the other side and that the reward of resiliency is recovery.”
Christopher is a High Fidelity Wraparound Coach. He uses his lived experiences of homelessness, substance use and mental health challenges to connect and communicate with the families he supports. “I’m an African American male born in the inner city. I faced many challenges and lacked the resources to navigate the necessary systems in the best way possible. My personal mission as a HFW coach is to show other young males that regardless of your past, you can become successful and exceed beyond those past experiences. My life motto is ‘Don’t be afraid to be your own blueprint’”.
Madison is a Youth Support Partner. She has experience with anxiety, depression, domestic violence, psychosis, substance use and running away from home when she was a child. “Life hasn’t always been as easy or straightforward as I thought but I still believe in my ability to do great things. Struggling with mental health made me doubt my worth and potential. Growing up, I believed ‘the world was my oyster’ and didn’t expect the quick turn that left me in a psychiatric unit taking daily medications to remain stable. I learned that accepting the state of my mental health was the first step in regaining control of my life. As a Youth Support Partner, I’m able to reignite hope in young people and remind them of their power to conquer life’s roadblocks and achieve the lives they desire.”
Thank you to our HFW team for sharing your stories. Learn more about HFW at eastersealsport.com/wraparound-program.
ABOUT US
Easterseals PORT Health is a trustworthy, compassionate partner providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsPORT.com.
