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About Find the
Light Online Support Group
(Advertising information listed below)
In 2003 I
had a vision of creating a place on the net for people to come together to talk and
receive support-for those suffering from mental illnesses
such as mood disorders, anxiety, and/or substance abuse.
Based on my own personal experience, I knew that giving and receiving support
was integral to anyone wishing to recover from debilitating
mental illness. I personally was in my own recovery from
depression and anxiety so I had a vested personal interest.
I brought together my technical skills with my strong desire to
give and receive help-this is how Find the Light (FTL) was
"born".
Today FTL has grown into a solid entity on the net
that many have come to rely on daily for support and education.
September's issue of Glamour Magazine mentions Find the
Light in the Cover Story, "The Female Stress Crisis,
Solved!", as part of a holistic approach to managing
stress and anxiety.
Check it out at Glamour
Magazine's website!
Find the Light has been mentioned in other
highly visible magazines, including Women's Day and BP Hope
Magazine.
Find the Light's mission is twofold. The
private support group is
where approved members come together in a private community
based on positive support. It is heavily moderated and monitored in order to ensure the
safety, comfort, and privacy of each member. I want the
group to be a place where people can come and get
validation, encouragement, and peer support. Click
here
for member testimonials.
Additionally
FTL focuses education and resources . I have a very strong belief that in order for anyone
to recover we must first understand what is going on with
our minds, spirits, and bodies.
The private support group can be found by clicking
the "Online Support Forum" link on the vertical menu bar to
the left of any page on the site. There currently is a $4.99
charge per month, based only on months used. When signing up
you will experience our screening process which consists of
an automatic email to you with questions for you to answer.
Please reply to those and I will then let you know of the
status for admission. We are for adults only so no minors may participate.
Our members find that this modest fee is very reasonable.
For those of you that are teens I do hope you can call on
your school counselor, parents, a pastor-someone that you
can talk to about what may be bothering you. We are a group
that encourages positive, healthy exchanges of support. We
do not provide therapy and we do not indulge in
confrontational exchanges. We get enough of that in our
"face to face" world. Screening is the first step to
ensuring the safety and integrity of the group.
Tristine
Barry, MS, CTT+
Twitter: @FTLight
(Tristine lives in the Tampa Bay, FL area with her husband,
Dave Barry, SEO,
and two dogs)
Founder,
Site-Wide Administrator
Tristine
Barry, MS,
CTT+ has a Masters degree in Mental Health
Counseling from Nova Southeastern University and is
certified by
Comptia
as a Technical Trainer. In the past
she has served as Webmaster for the local Psi Chi Honor
Society for Psychology Chapter. She currently serves as
Co-Moderator for Online Support Groups and Boards at the
International Society for Mental
Health Online Private Message Boards. She has a
passion for education in addition to helping those that
suffer from mental illness.
In
addition to the above, Tristine brings to the table over
fifteen years experience in the technology field, primarily
in software use and training, including most Microsoft apps
with strong familiarity in Microsoft Office, Windows, and
Internet Explorer. She does most of
her own writing and editing of the site.
The information
provided on Find the Light
is designed to support, not
replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site
visitor and his/her physician.
Senior Director, Online Support Forum
"My diagnoses include but are not limited to Bipolar
Disorder I, Ultradian Cycler, Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I am also parent to
children with similar disorders.
The majority of my time is spent in researching, educating
and sharing my experience in the patient and caregiver
perspectives in the hopes of creating a conscious awareness
among others specifically parents, teachers, and other
influential people that profoundly affect children's lives
that live with mental illness. It is paramount to me that
people should be educated in the warning signs, and the need
for early detection and treatment of mental illness in
children. With accurate and early diagnosis I believe
children can be spared many of the obstacles that a lot of
others have experienced with mental illness. The children
are our future and are foremost in my heart when I think
ahead to hopefully a time where all stigmas against mental
illnesses can be abolished.
I immensely enjoy the volunteering positions that have been
afforded to me within different arenas not just that of
mental health. Having the opportunity to communicate with
others such as myself, lend an ear, send a hug, or simply be
there for someone else when you know what it is like to walk
in their shoes can be the most rewarding feeling in the
world.
Being a part of Find the Light is one of the most rewarding
and enjoyable things that I do on a daily basis. It truly is
a wonderful community that has been built, and it is
exciting to be a part of this growing site that has already
touched so many lives. What each individual brings to the
table is what makes this site what it has become."
LShalott
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