From CAMH to the Community Charlyns story

By Miguel Amante, Communications Coordinator

It’s nearing the end of summer and staff, clients and their guests are gathered in the common room of CAMH’s Integrated Rehabilitation Unit 1-4  to celebrate a graduation. 

This is not just any graduation party. This is a special day for Charlyn Bradley, one of CAMH’s longest-stay inpatients. Charlyn has found herself at various units at the hospital over the past 25 years, partly due to a lack of high supportive housing that could meet her needs in the community. But in a day’s time, she will have transitioned to a life outside the unit’s walls – a CAMH outpatient and a member of the community.

Charlyn’s story

From an early point in her life, Charlyn’s experienced difficulty. 

“Charlyn ended up in between cracks. We grew up as foster children and she struggled – physically at first, but then emotionally and mentally afterwards,” explains her biological sister Christine Bradley, who has been a positive, constant presence in Charlyn’s adult life. 

“In her teenage years, she was just… lost. Nobody was watching over her, [she was] not in the system, ran away, lived on the streets. In her late teens, she started to exhibit some serious mental health issues, and we were able to get her into the healthcare system with a mental health diagnosis,” her sister says.

For some, a diagnosis and the accompanied therapy and treatment can be a turning point for recovery. But it wasn’t working for Charlyn despite years of treatment. 

“With the care team at CAMH, we had her re-assessed,” and it was revealed that she was also on the autism spectrum. This gave her access to a wider swath of services and more funding, which allowed Charlyn to make greater strides in her recovery.

“It was a pivotal point. Looking at her not just with a diagnosis of mental illness but also as one on the autism spectrum allowed for funding to get her people who could work with her in a different way. We started to see a change in Charlyn; in her engagement. Talking, communicating her needs and her wants… wanting to go out. She didn’t want to do anything before.”

Charlyn is currently on a combination of medication and Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) to manage the symptoms of her dual diagnosis. “She still needs ECT, so there’s obviously still the mental health component [to her care]. But with the added attention to the other side of her diagnosis… she’s really come to life.”

Supporting growth and learning

Aside from the team of clinicians at CAMH, Charlyn also works with a Developmental Service Worker (DSW) who helps to get her ready for her life outside of CAMH.

“Developmental Services Ontario determines who gets on the waitlist. When housing comes up, that house will do an interview and decide whether the person is a good fit. Prior to February, she was being declined from even being placed on the waitlist,” says Jessica Dehaan, Charlyn’s DSW. “Some of the things we were looking at were how nervous she was going outside, her ability to go out on her own, to follow directions… and to build rapport with people.” 

The process of getting her ready to live in the community was a long and gradual one but it has progressed tremendously. “Jess has been able to get her to do things we never thought possible. She’s even set her up with an email account,” Christine says.

Making the grade

Charlyn’s symptoms include selective mutism, which can make the adjustment to a group home difficult, according to Jess. “She wasn’t always communicating her wants and her needs, and in a group home it’s very important for her to do that. Working with her and building rapport, I was able to get her to talk to me and tell me when she wanted or needed something.”   

“We had a couple of false starts,” admits Christine. “There was a bed for her at a facility that was suitable, but she wasn’t going to fit in with the rest of the clients because she wasn’t prepared enough.” 

The rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied these experiences were difficult, but also beneficial to Charlyn’s development. “They gave us a checklist of things to do and helped us to better prepare,” says her sister. “We also have to respect the people she’s moving in with. The homes have a responsibility to make sure that the people they bring in are a right fit, and we were very respectful of that.”

“We’re treating it as though she’s graduating,” says Christine. “We’ve taken her to the apartment she’ll be living in,” and like any young adult moving out for the first time, “you get new clothes, towels, sheets… you hang pictures in the residence.” 

“We’re so proud of her. She’s still young enough to enjoy life beyond the hospital.” 

And while there’s still a lot she has to learn, she’s on the right track thanks to her dedicated family and the experts who have been by Charlyn at every step of her journey.