THERAPY: A WAY TO COPE WITH THE STRESSORS OF COMING HOME BY MAGGIE GREENE Program Director, Better Living Center The Fortune Society
On October 29th, 2019, The Fortune Society held its annual Hope and Justice Gala, where justice involved people gave speeches about their journeys returning home from prison and celebrated their achievements. There were many successes shared – people finding employment, completing internships, participating in Fortune’s transitional housing, and other important gains. The annual gala is a celebration of all the hard work that occurs within Fortune’s walls. However, coming home may not always feel like an easy path
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worth celebrating. Adjusting to the community after incarceration is fraught with many stressors, including accessing safe housing, reconnecting with family and friends, finding employment, and maintaining physical and mental health. Being in prison changes a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Take a look at how you’re eating – do you attempt to eat your food as fast as possible? Do you often avoid the cafeteria due to the crowd? Do you eat with your food covered by one arm? A task that many people do not do mindfully – eating –
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can become different inside the prison walls due to learned behaviors. All of these behaviors may be signs of Adjustment Disorder, a clinically treatable mental health diagnosis that impacts 11 – 18% of people with any clinical psychiatric disorder. Adjustment Disorder is found in all age groups and all cultures, and is essentially the development of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to a stressor. Coming home, you may experience feelings of hopelessness, nervousness, or other negative emotions or behaviors.
