PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT: Chad Schoen
Chad Schoen is one of our newest additions to At The Roots. Always willing to help out and offer his unique perspective, he is a living example of one of our core values - “Show up, do the right thing.” A Neilsville native who enjoys hiking and film photography, Chad uses his lived experiences to support people in mental health recovery and LGBTQ+ youth. He is also a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. You might see him downtown at Acoustic Café, the Shift for their “amazing chocolate chip cookies,” or at Olson’s having some “amazing ice cream.”
Here’s some more about Chad in his own words:
When/why did you get into peer support?
During the pandemic, I was receiving peer support services myself, and my peer support was great. She knew all the right questions to ask and the correct things to say. I was finally with this person who I could open up to, and not have to worry about judgment. It was a totally different kind of relationship that I’ve never had before. It wasn't like sitting with a therapist, it didn't feel clinical. She eventually recommended that I would be a good peer support in the future. I thought that with all the different lived experiences that I have, neglect, abuse, trauma, an abusive relationship that brought therapist trauma with it, a family history of mental health struggles/suicides and substance use, I could use those for something good. Those experiences wouldn’t be for nothing if I could use them for good. It took me a few more years to work on myself and get to a place where I could help others, but here I am now. One of the things that people need to thrive is a purpose, and I think my purpose is to help others.
Where would you like to see peer support go in the future?
I feel as though peer support needs to become mainstream in the mental health field. Mental health services in general need to be more mainstream, and peer support needs to be right there with the rest of them. I want to see private insurance offering to cover it (even though I think they overcomplicate every process they touch, but that’s for another day). Everyone should be able to access these services. It would be great if people were able to access the services that they need before their situation becomes dire. I feel as though we wait too long and overcomplicate the process for people seeking help. I’d also like to see more services offered in schools to help combat the mental health crisis that we face. As a nation, we need to be more proactive instead of reactive, and peer support is one great way to prevent problems from ballooning into a crisis.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy everything about it. Every day is new and brings new challenges. I learn new things from participants every day. They challenge me and make sure that I challenge myself. I get to work with great colleagues, and I’m always amazed by the work they do. Even as someone who is new to the field and working at At The Roots, my colleagues are asking for my input at the table and it’s so weird, in a good way of course.
What are some of the challenges in your job?
Rules/regulations, I know there are very valid reasons for most of them, but as a person who worries a lot, it’s just something that takes my focus away from where it needs to be, especially when they are constantly changing. As someone who has sat on the other side and had peer support, I can say that my mental health does not care one bit about your rules and regulations. I’m not saying that I wanted to push boundaries or anything like that. It’s just that some days I’m sure my support had to get creative in making our meeting fit within my goals. My own personal goal was to not die by suicide, and it did not matter what was put on paper. If the system is too rigid it won’t be able to bend and sway when the participants need it.
What is your favorite movie/book/TV show?
Schitt’s Creek is the best show out there, except when I watch it, I start to act more and more like David, which isn’t good.
The poem “Broken Wing” by Will Reyes is one of my all-time favorites.
There are too many books to list so I will just say Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health since it’s the last one that I read and enjoyed. There is a quote from the book that I love that goes “A suicidal person does not need a locked unit. He needs a reason to live.” As someone who has been in those locked units, I know how temporary it is, but the reason to live will stay, hopefully, much longer.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten?
I don’t know where I first heard it, or read it, but someone said “be the person you needed” and I will always remember younger me knowing that something is wrong and feeling like no one cared. I needed someone to show me they cared and that I was safe with them, so that is who I need to be for others.
I was also told by my therapist that he started enjoying the work that he did when he started “meeting people where they are at”. Some days people are ready to move mountains and other days they can’t get out of bed and there is nothing wrong with that. If you meet people where they are at it will be a lot more helpful for them.
Can you share any fun facts about yourself or something your colleagues may not know about you?
Okay, I don’t really have any fun facts, but something that people don’t usually know about me is that I’m deaf in my right ear. I have a bad habit of nodding my head like I heard what a person said, when all I heard was a mumbled mess and didn’t understand a single word. Oops.