Four Individuals Share Their Experiences With Mental Health

Mental health and wellness are essential to thriving communities. Together with our donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation has been working on improvements in the mental healthcare system since 2018.

We met with four individuals to learn how they are affected by the mental healthcare systems in our community. This article shares the battles people fight in hopes of breaking the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and how effective mental healthcare systems empower communities and build resiliency. Join us for a journey of Mental Health Through The Eyes of...

Mental Health Through the Eyes of Bill Carter, a certified recovery peer special lead:

Bill Carter is the certified recovery peer special lead at Community Assisted and Supported Living (CASL) which provides safe, affordable, and permanent supportive housing for adults with developmental differences and mental health diagnoses. Carter was addicted to cocaine and alcohol for 10 years. In 1996, he attended the First Step Residential program. Today he has 28 years in recovery and serves as an advocate for clients at CASL.

Carter shared, “One of my key philosophies is that it’s much better to understand than to be understood because until I can walk in another person’s shoes, I don’t know what their fight is, so being willing to listen gives us a chance to better communicate with people and understand them.”

Carter continued, “I’ve been in the mental health field for 23 years. One of the best qualities our job entails is that you must have lived experience. So, by being in recovery from alcohol and drugs myself, I’ve learned how to navigate through the system and act as a mentor and advocate for clients. There’s absolutely nothing more rewarding than to have a person come in that’s almost at a point of being hopeless and being able to work with them and collaborating agencies to see them realize there is hope. That’s what we do at CASL.”

Mental Health Through the Eyes of Ian Churchill, a member at The Academy at Glengary:

Ian Churchill came to The Academy at Glengary at the end of high school. He was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome as a child and later diagnosed with anxiety and autism. He works on the multimedia team editing videos and is working to obtain his commercial drone certification. Churchill will soon start a job at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in supply chain operations. The Academy provides a pathway to success, friendship, and careers for adults seeking to improve their mental health.  

Churchill expressed, “After graduating high school, I had anxiety for what was yet to come. I didn’t know what I wanted to do career-wise or if college was right for me with my learning challenges.” Becoming a member of The Academy transformed Churchill’s life. “I started working in the kitchen, then learned how to use Excel and office phones, and worked on the multimedia team designing newsletters. I wake up with purpose knowing that all this skill building is going to carry itself into a job which is exciting for me. The Academy is not just a place of vocational work, but a place where they give me purpose by providing me with work. That, for me, is the most essential part of mental health – finding purpose through work.”

Churchill concluded, “If I could educate anyone on the importance of mental healthcare in our community, I’d tell the person with a mental health diagnosis to take care of yourself first. Don’t worry about what people think of you. What matters is how you think of yourself. Don’t underestimate your potential based on the struggles you are facing now.”

Mental Health Through the Eyes of Matt Sprague, a peer support specialist: 

Matt Sprague is the fatherhood coordinator for the Dad’s Connect peer support group at NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Peer support groups can be transformational in one’s journey, reducing social isolation, connecting with others, and improving quality of life. Sprague experienced trauma after abuse from his father which later led to abusing alcohol. He has been in recovery from alcohol for five years and has been leading the Dad’s Connect group for more than one year. 

Sprague shared, “My personal mental health journey started 16 years ago when my wife found out we were pregnant with our first son. I had a dream to be all the things my dad wasn’t. My dad was abusive. I had a big plan and vision to be a super dad. When my son was born and he started to walk, I realized I didn’t have a lot of tools to be a good dad. All these traumas from my own childhood that I didn’t deal with kept resurfacing, and I handled them in unhealthy ways. I was supported by my wife, her family, and other individuals who led me to work on myself.

Dad’s Connect is trying to build a grassroots movement of men who want to be supportive of each other. We may not have all the answers, but we have someone to talk with, meet with, celebrate victories, and get through tough times together.

There’s always an opportunity for us to be kinder, gentler, more understanding of this illness and to treat it as such.”

Mental Health Through the Eyes of Lauren Sporillo, a licensed clinical social worker: 

Lauren Sporillo is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) at Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion who works in outpatient behavioral health programs. Sporillo is an advocate for mental health and has been conducting group therapy for six years. She is grateful to see firsthand people’s recovery journey in the group setting.

Sporillo expressed, “When it comes to mental health, it’s an issue that we should all be concerned about whether it has to do with ourselves, our family members, our friends, or anyone else we may know. I think there are a lot of people out there who are living and struggling on their own without any support. I want to encourage them that there is treatment and resources available, they just need to take that step and reach out.

Sporillo shared, “If I could educate anybody on the importance of mental health, I would say that it’s something that affects everyone and should be talked about and supported. The more we open up and talk about our mental health struggles, the closer connections that are built with others, and we can feel less isolated which is an important part of mental health and recovery.”

The Academy, NAMI, CASL, and SMH are strong examples of effective mental healthcare systems that meet people where they are, offer diverse services, and build resiliency in our region, one individual at a time. Each of these organizations and many others are essential to an effective continuum of care, representing a system of programs and services that help individuals at different stages of their mental health journey.