Charter Oak Family Center, LLC

Charter Oak Family Center, LLC Providing Psychotherapy services to everyone/anyone in the family, as needed.

We use Cognitive Processing Therapy, for PTSD, Play Therapy for kids of all ages, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and more.

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we'll be sharing stories, conversation...
06/30/2026

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we'll be sharing stories, conversations, and insights that we hope encourage all of us to continue learning from one another. In the meantime, check out our blog page where we already have lots of great articles written by Charter Oak Family Center staff.

https://www.charteroakfamilycenter.com/blog

Please take a few minutes to read a blog post or two. Then come back, share this post, and let us know in the comments which article resonated with you and why. Your perspective may help someone else discover exactly what they might read today.

***deprevention

05/24/2026

“…Nice answer but I hate it…”
Hollywood portrays the resolution of complex issues in minutes rather than years.

It makes good T.V.

But life, well, not so much.

I have been on my own journey of recovery for many years.
I remember in the beginning asking,
"How long will this take? When will I be better?"

Clinicians have the answer memorized because they get asked the question a lot. Their answer:
"It takes as long as it takes."
Nice answer, but I hate it.

I hate it because there is no timeline, no map, no guide that puts mental health recovery in a nice neat package that I can carry with me.

More importantly, we often talk about lifelong learning but then expect this recovery process to have an expiration date on it.

I remember being in school, quiz or test day.
Teachers loved to put "challenge" questions on the test.
It felt like a setup, it felt like they were purposely trying to trip us up.

Now, when I look at my recovery journey, I notice life is full of challenge questions.

Sometimes I don't do well on those questions, and those times might be the hardest times to see that I am still moving forward.
***de ***derecovery

10/07/2025

Maybe you’re the one who needs this today.

Su***de lies.
It says you don’t matter.
That no one would miss you.
That it’ll never get better.

But here’s the truth:
You matter.
You are needed.
It can get better—even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.

Call someone.
Call 988.
Call a therapist.
Walk into a hospital if you have to. Yeah, it might suck—but if it keeps you here, it’s worth it.

I’m going to show my age for a second. Hawkeye (Alan Alda) on MASH*, talking about death, once said:
“Don’t let the bastard win.”
Please — don’t let the bastard win.

***de ***derecovery

09/02/2025

September is su***de prevention month

Su***de lies. You already know that. It whispers: “You’re the problem. You’re a burden. Nobody would miss you. Their lives would be better without you.”
Su***de had me convinced that if I died, my family might cry for a week—but then forget me. Even today, when su***de shows up, I have to remind myself: those messages are all lies.

Here’s the hard part: when urges hit, the last thing I want to do is reach out. But that’s exactly when it matters most. Tell someone I trust directly challenges the lie that nobody cares.

The scariest place for me is what I call the place of “quiet reserve.” It’s where I need connection the most—and want it the least. That silence is dangerous. And connection can help me stay—and crack the door open to hope.

Another lie says asking for help is weakness. The truth? Asking for help is one of the most courageous actions you can take. And remember, asking for help cracks open the door for hope.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call 988, 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

I know—it sounds like a hallmark moment when I say there’s there’s life beyond this. But here’s the thing: sometimes clichés are true. Call it Hallmark if you want—it’s still real. ***de

08/18/2025

Real Strength

The exhaustion is palpable.
Heavy, dark eyes.
Contagious yawns.
Crying.
Discussing a struggle that feels impossible.
Do you see the strength here?

We pray for the pain to stop.
We feel like it’s inescapable.
We’re sure things will never change.
Yet we face another day.
We trudge forward—spent, hopeless, still moving.
Can you see our strength here?

Do you see our resilience,
a tenacity many can’t understand?
Someone once said,
“On paper, you look like a s**t show.”

But what about the semicolon moment—
those times when we don’t end the sentence,
even when everything in us wants to.

And here’s the truth:

Our semicolon moments aren’t always dramatic.
They don’t come with revelations or clarity.
Sometimes they look like being still
when everything in us is screaming to give up.

They look like combat breathing—
slow, deliberate, in and out—
while the chaos keeps coming,
while the pain is still present,
while we’re expected to respond like we’re not drowning.

We are not catapulted out of struggle.
We are still in it.
And yet we choose, again and again, to hold our ground.
That is what strength looks like.
That is what determination looks like.
Do you see it now?
The grit in us.
The resilience in us.
The strength in us.
Do you see it?

08/06/2025

The alarm rings, again.
Loud.
Ear‑piercing.
It tells me I’m in danger.
I react — maybe without thinking.
My body tenses.
My breathing goes shallow.
The fire inside me explodes outward.
Cannonballs fly.
The flamethrower roars.
And then—
The smoke,
the smoke I created,
begins to clear.
And I see it.
The mess in front of me.
My fault.
This has happened many times.
I explode.
Leaving hurt feelings,
ashes where relationships once stood.
Some have stayed.
Called BS.
And I love them for that —
even if, in the moment, not so much.
Some have left.
Maybe by choice.
Maybe because I pushed them out.
Their ashes burn hotter.
And I still love them.
For their constant reminder:
stop scorching people.
Because every person —
no matter who they are,
or what they mean in my life —
deserves the respect
of not being burned.
If you or someone you know is in crisis please call 988, 911, or go to the nearest hospital. You matter and you matter more than you might realize

07/29/2025

For many years, I thought there was something inherently wrong with me.
I searched for that “malfunctioning” piece I could somehow “fix.”
Back then, I believed that I was broken.
But then came neuroscience.
And peer support.
And a community that showed me the truth looked very different.
Here’s what I know now:
You are not too complex.
You are not too dark.
You are not a risk to be managed —
You are definitely not broken
or damaged.
Your brain adapted.
It kept you alive.
It fought, maybe when you couldn’t.
You are a person to be honored.
A person to be treated with
Love and respect.
I see your story.
I see the courage it took to even whisper it.
You are
A life.
A light.
A voice.
You are a warrior —
even on the days you don’t feel it.
If you or someone you know is struggling with urges to su***de, call 988, dial 911, reach out to your therapist, or go to the emergency room.

I should not be here.And yet—here I am. I could have been institutionalized, could have been homeless, might have been a...
07/23/2025

I should not be here.
And yet—here I am. I could have been institutionalized, could have been homeless, might have been arrested and yet, by the grace of God and by the relentless work of people who didn’t give up on me...
I am part of a team that gets to stand in front of the Connecticut National Guard twice, and speak about su***de prevention.
To be here, doing this work, with this team… it’s not just an honor it is a dream come true. And, the time - military time, of course. :-) ***de

07/21/2025

Welcome.
If you’re here because something I wrote landed with you—thank you for stopping by.
Charter Oak Family Center is a therapy practice grounded in real recovery and lived experience.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You’ve already done hard things just by showing up.
We believe your mind and body responded exactly the way they needed to, based on what you’ve lived through.
And now, together, we can work toward something new.
I see you.
The strength. The exhaustion.
And yes—even the hope,
even if it’s not clear to you right now.
You’re welcome here.

07/21/2025

Your Brain Didn't Get the Memo:
You are rewriting your story—and it takes time.
Allowing yourself room to breathe.
Giving yourself some forgiveness.
Learning how to slow things down.
These are all part of the re-writing process.
You won’t get it “right” all the time.
And you don’t have to.
You are so worth working on.
You’re fully human.
And you are in the process of rewriting your life narrative.
When it gets hard—and it will get hard—
Remember: you are worth it.
On the good days. On the bad ones. All of them.
So please—stay with it.

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843 Main Street
Manchester, CT
06040

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