About an Individual Named Chrissy

About an Individual Named Chrissy

By Chrissy M. Strawn

Transforming Challenges into Success

Chrissy is an introvert. She likes to meet new people, but on her own terms. She can be honest to a fault. She is a very bright interesting person. She lives with her husband Lance who takes very good care of her. He is also a great cook. Chrissy is an army veteran who gave five years of service when she was found to have a service-related disability, for which she now receives compensation from the Veterans Administration.

She has a diverse array of talents. She is a brass instrument musician, and also a fourth degree black belt in karate. Her current major activity in life is volunteering with NAMI connection groups, of which she currently co-facilitates three. Every Saturday afternoon she attends her home group with Lance.

Chrissy is a photographer and artist. She had a long career as a telecom technician that lasted 20 years. She is unable to work anymore due to the disabilities she currently suffers. She has chronic back pain from the hard work she did in the telecom business.

Chrissy is a disabled person on the inside with borderline personality disorder, adjustment disorder and more, but she shines when she is talking to new people.

She has seen her share of trouble. She was convicted in 1998 for touching her daughter inappropriately, costing her a twenty year sentence. She is currently on parole in Portland, Oregon. From her own point of view, she is an acquired taste. She can be somewhat of a braggadocio. But she likes to listen too.

Chrissy is a very compassionate and empathic person. Caring and selective, she is generous with those she calls friends, and does not take friendship lightly. Helping people brings a shine to her life. A transgendered individual who is male to female, she suffered great gender dysphoria, the conflict between a person's physical gender and the gender he or she identifies as, during the last years of her male existence. In 2004 she started her transition from male to female.

As of 2014, Chrissy is much more stable. She credits NAMI.org for her current stability and continues to help others the best way she can. She also took DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) at the VA and continues to receive therapy from her therapist while seeing her psychiatrist on a regular basis. Chrissy has great empathy for her fellow mental health peers. She took some classes to become a peer support specialist and connection facilitator. Those courses include peer to peer, peer support specialist training, and connection facilitators course. It gratifies her deeply to assist others.

Chrissy prides herself for her ability to stay calm in a dramatic situation. As it is her role to help those in need, she works to calm and understand what troubles her peers. It isn’t easy to be rational when all hell is breaking loose. But that is what her job entails. Peer support is worth it when the other person says “thank you” or “I am sorry.” She loves the challenge and reward that comes from helping others. She would encourage others interested in the helping profession to check out their local NAMI office, who are always on the look-out for able volunteers.

Advice from Chrissy: For those who have mental illness, consider social security disability. Though you may initially be denied, the vast majority of people are denied the first time. Chrissy recommends obtaining a social security lawyer. They specialize in the area of helping those with mental health problems get the fiscal assistance needed.

Chrissy’s solid twenty years in the telecom business built up a large cache for her to receive disability income. What you receive will depend on the amount of cache accumulated while you were working. The more you earned and the years you worked, the more that cache will be. Along with SSD you will qualify for Medicare. That will take some of the money you get for your benefit in order to pay for your portion of Medicare. Get the support you need. Apply today with a social security lawyer.