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 Bullying can happen anywhere and to anyone. For Dana, it happened at school and it flipped her world upside down. Thankfully, Dana is getting the support she needs and can handle difficult moments, thanks to you.

   Fifteen year-old Dana had problems that she didn’t know how to fix. She was bullied at school by her peers and felt angry, anxious and sad. She lost her father 10 years ago and struggled to develop a healthy relationship with her mom, Tina.

   Tina noticed that Dana was having problems and she didn’t know how to help her.

   “Between bullying and peer pressure, Dana had a lot of aggression,” said Tina. “That’s what got us involved with Highfields.”

   Dana was referred to Highfields through LifeWays. She was initially referred to the Home-Based program, which is designed for family members coping with a mental health disorder. After working with her counselor Deb Daniels, Dana is now in the Outpatient program, which is a less intensive service.

   At first, Dana was hesitant to trust Deb. She hadn’t felt supported by her teachers at school so it was difficult for her to open up to another authority figure. Soon she began to understand that Deb was there to help her.

  “I appreciate Deb because she never gave up on me,” said Dana. “She made me keep pushing, and now I understand myself a lot better and am dealing with my feelings.”

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   Tina also has benefitted from therapy because it helped strengthen her relationship with Dana, and now they are closer than ever.

   “Without Highfields’ help I would be angry, unable to understand what’s going on, and probably missing my daughter,” said Tina. “I would be heartbroken.”

   Tina and Dana are building a stronger relationship every day thanks to help from Highfields. Dana continues to work through her feelings and has advice for other teens going through similar issues.

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   “It’s not just a quick fix, it’s not going to happen overnight but you have to start somewhere and ask for help,” said Dana. “Keep trying no matter how hard it is because it does get better.”

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