“Anna”: Growth Through Learning to Set Boundaries
“Anna Andrews” grew up in a small town of 500 people. She lived in this town until she was eight years old. “Anna” had an older brother. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old. She and her family moved around quite a bit. They lived in Arizona for some time, but in 2003, she permanently moved to Minnesota.
“Anna” heard about Life-Work Planning Center through one of the area drug court programs. She states that she got into trouble one night and was arrested and taken to jail. Her kids were home alone waiting for her to come home, so the police went to her house and her kids were placed in foster care. “Anna” was facing criminal charges. This was a difficult time for her, and she knew she must change her life.
“Anna” says she liked that when she came to Life-Work Planning Center, she could feel the support from the Self-Sufficiency Counselor, and she could feel that she wasn’t being judged because of her situation and what she was going through at that time.
“Anna” worked hard and participated in the Strength • Balance • Self-Respect workshop series, not once, but TWICE! She actively sought out and participated in one-to-one peer counseling with the LWPC Self-Sufficiency Counselor. She says her favorite topic from the Strength • Balance • Self-Respect workshops was Boundaries.
“Anna” also completed the Myers Briggs assessment with Life-Work Planning Center. She enjoyed the check-ins, which she said helped her to be thoughtful in her decisions. It helped her to realize that she should put herself first and learn about self-care. “Anna” says she loved that when she didn’t believe in herself, the Self-Sufficiency Counselor did.
“Anna” also liked the education and the support that she received from Life-Work Planning Center. While working with the program, she was able to receive help with transportation, rent, and basic needs that would help her move towards employment. “Anna” was able to obtain her driver’s license. This is something she is proud of because she never had a driver’s license before. Having her license empowers her and brings her many options she did not have before.
After working with Life-Work Planning Center for a year, “Anna” got a job. She was able to re-enter the workforce. After a few additional months of support, she successfully exited the Life-Work Planning Center program.
“Anna” has had on-going health issues that have been a barrier to employment. At the time of the interview for this article, “Anna” was already receiving Social Security Disability Insurance to help stabilize her financial situation. She continues to be successful in her recovery journey and is working hard to care for her health and her children.
“Anna’s” advice to other women is to “not give up” and that “it’s going to pay off later.” She says, “People can tell you to do something, but you can’t unless you are ready.”
**Name has been changed to respect the privacy of the person in this story.**
