Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 12, Issue 1
Quick & Schnoke | 22-26
Volume 12 ► Issue 1 ► May 2023
Life Through My Lens:
An Exploration of Self-Stigma
Dr. Kathy Quick, LSW, CPS and Tristan Schnoke, CPS
In the mental health world, everyone talks about the stigma that surrounds having a mental illness. But as with any problem-solving process, it is always beneficial to get to the root of the problem to develop an effective solution. Kathy and Tristan, the authors of this article, frequently share about their battles with self-stigma. They propose that the way we think of ourselves is the root cause of the pervasive and devastating mental health stigma in our communities.
Kathy experienced childhood trauma, extensive bullying, and problems with body image and weight, which led her down a dark road of self-loathing, feelings of inadequacy, and self-blame, which ultimately resulted in decades of substance use, inappropriate and abusive relationships, suicidal ideation, and a suicide attempt.
As a child, Tristan experienced domestic violence in the home, emotional abuse, and mental abuse. As she grew up, she found more relationships filled with the same. She struggled to find any value in herself and practiced blaming, shaming, and guilting herself for everything that had ever gone wrong in her life for a long time.
After a long journey through different types of employment, both Kathy and Tristan have found their way to the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association (PMHCA). Kathy’s journey took her through college, ultimately resulting in three degrees but not before she spent time grooming racehorses, working in factories, and cleaning bathrooms in a bar. After engaging in her educational journey, Kathy also worked in child welfare, outpatient therapy, family-based therapy, county government, and finally landed at PMHCA where she was able to freely acknowledge and speak about her life experiences and become a Certified Peer Specialist.
Tristan’s employment journey also included many different fields including waitressing, customer service, sales, and the labor industry. She found employment at PMHCA and was able to complete the Certified Peer Specialist training, which transformed the way she looked at her life and herself. Both Kathy and Tristan are currently taking the Certified Family Recovery Specialist training, and Kathy will also be eligible to receive the Certified Recovery Specialist certification. These certifications will allow Kathy and Tristan to provide peer services to family members of people with substance use disorder and Kathy to work with the individual themselves.
Kathy and Tristan are not only mother and daughter, but coworkers, too. During their time at PMCHA, they have discovered that as valuable as community stigma reduction efforts are, there is so much more work to be done. Stigma reduction typically focuses on how the outside person should treat the person with a mental illness and changing the way people view those who have struggled with mental health. Tristan and Kathy, and ultimately PMHCA, take a different perspective on stigma reduction that starts within the individual. We will never be able to make worldwide change if we don’t believe that we are worthy of positive treatment in the first place. The way we speak to ourselves dictates the treatment we accept from others.
The PMHCA team has started to advocate for this viewpoint to be brought to light and allow others to understand that the way they view themselves is the starting point to destroying stigma around the globe. With that concept in mind, Tristan and her co-workers from PMHCA created a workshop called “Life Through My Lens” which is an easy-to-understand way of describing this different perspective on stigma reduction and provides practical, real-life ways we can begin to address our own self-stigma.
The workshop helps people truly understand what it means to feel good about themselves. It helps people to connect the dots that were lost as a result of negative life experiences. PMHCA is offering this workshop to anyone who feels it may be helpful for them and their community. Details can be found on the website or by contacting either Kathy or Tristan.
https://pmhca.wildapricot.org/Life-Through-My-Lens-Workshop
Biographies
Dr. Kathy Quick serves as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA). Dr. Quick is very invested in ensuring that individuals in recovery from mental illness have their voices heard. Dr. Quick is in long-term recovery from mental illness as well as alcohol addiction, and she shares her story to inspire others to embrace recovery and hope. Dr. Quick received her bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 1998, majoring in Criminal Justice. She went on to receive a master’s degree in social work from Temple University in 2005, and her Doctorate in Social Work from Capella University in 2020. She had over 20 years of experience in providing treatment services in mental health, family treatment, children's services, substance use disorder treatment, and local government before joining PMHCA. Dr. Quick is a resident of Schuylkill County with her husband, German Shepherd Duke, and three cats: Little AK, Molly and Princess Fiona. Dr. Quick's recovery tools include reading, hunting, painting, crocheting, counted cross-stitch, and gardening.
Tristan Schnoke is a young adult who is married, has a child, owns pets, and has a mental illness that she battles every single day. She has learned to grow through things instead of trying to jump over them and that has helped her to become a strong advocate for other young people who struggle with mental health and traumatic experiences. As the Program Director at PMHCA, Tristan's goal is to make sure that everyone's experiences are being included, heard, and understood when changes to the mental health system are being made. You have a voice, and we need to hear it!
Contact Information
Dr. Kathy Quick, LSW, CPS
Executive Director of PMHCA
Tristan Schnoke, CPS
Program Director at PMHCA
Tristan@pmhca.org