There are people here in Flagstaff who care, who will listen, and who will stand beside you until you can stand on your own again.
After a serious suicide attempt, I didn’t end up at The Guidance Center right away, but in the months that followed, I was admitted twice to their Psychiatric Acute Care (PAC) Unit. Both times, I walked through those doors in crisis. Both times, I walked out feeling safer than when I came in. I want to share that, because I know how hard it can be to take that first step toward getting help.
The PAC Unit is a 16-bed emergency psychiatric hospital here in Flagstaff. It’s a place for adults in crisis – whether that means you need medication adjustments, a safe place to stabilize, or emergency psychiatric care. Sometimes people are admitted voluntarily, other times under Arizona’s Title 36 law for involuntary hospitalization.
The average stay is only three to five days. Mine were a little longer, but for me, those days made a world of difference.
My admissions came after the lingering emotional fallout of my suicide attempt, mixed with the heavy weight of severe depression and alcohol addiction. From the moment I arrived, I felt a shift. The nurses, techs, social workers, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners treated me like a person – not just a patient. They weren’t there to judge; they were there to keep me safe and help me get through the storm.
There’s a rhythm to life in the PAC. Medications on schedule. Groups where you learn coping skills or just talk. A stretch in the morning. A simple meal shared with others who understand what it’s like to feel unsteady. Even when I didn’t feel like joining in, the encouragement to participate gave me small lifelines to hold onto.
Within 24 hours, I met with a provider to talk through what had brought me in and what would need to happen before I could safely go home. Before discharge, I always left with a follow-up appointment scheduled – something concrete to help me stay connected once I was back on my own.
I know that nobody wants to need a place like the PAC. But when you do, it matters more than I can say that such a place exists. The Guidance Center gave me structure, compassion and the reminder that I wasn’t beyond help.
If you’re reading this and feel lost, please know you are not alone. There are people here in Flagstaff who care, who will listen, and who will stand beside you until you can stand on your own again. FBN
By an Anonymous Patient
I’m Devon Forrest, CEO of The Guidance Center. This writing is from someone who stayed in our PAC Unit this summer and submitted the reflection anonymously. I am grateful to read about this positive outcome through the firsthand experience and honored to be able to share this story on their behalf.
The Guidance Center. 2187 N. Vickey Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 928-527-1899
888-681-1899
tgcaz.org
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