Amanda

Amanda spent her days in Texas feeling hopeless, watching TV and unable to take on the tasks of her everyday life. Her mom searched for answers on the internet and found Hopewell. They traveled to Mesopotamia and saw the many ways a therapeutic community could benefit Amanda. She knew this was her place, arriving at Hopewell in May 2017.

Since becoming a Hopewell resident, Amanda has settled into the community. She enjoys the housekeeping work crew, being creative in the art room and playing guitar with the Music Therapy Group. Amanda has learned about herself through Process Group Therapy, where residents meet face to face to share their struggles and concerns, and in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which helps residents learn and use new skills and strategies to address their mental illness, and live a more vibrant life. Her favorite part of the day is in the evening when she can read, and she is currently devouring the Harry Potter series.

Amanda shares her love for photography with the community, opening her exhibition at Hopewell in March. When she was 12, she wandered around with her pink digital camera, capturing nature photos. Currently her favorite genre is everyday life portraits. When asked what her favorite photo is, she quickly replied, “Guardian Angel,” named after her father who died in 2013. Other photos she loves are a fish titled “Ohhh” taken at the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, and the Hopewell gazebo titled “Into the Fog.” Sharing time with her camera brings Amanda pure joy.

Amanda’s hardest adjustment is being away from family who live in Texas and Georgia. But Amanda is grateful for her time at Hopewell. She said, “Hopewell is a great place. It has changed me into a better person.” She has learned so much about herself and said, “I have been through a lot and I am still standing.”