Adam is a retired, highly-decorated, Air Force Officer in his late 40s. He divorced his wife after staying married for twenty years with lots of conflicts, heated arguments and years of cold disconnectedness. When he was referred to us, he was suffering from debilitating anxiety and off and on episodes of dark depression and grief. He said he hadn’t been able to establish any enjoyable romantic relationship after his divorce and moving to a new state. He used his work to keep him busy so he could numb himself from the pain that he experienced every day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fear overwhelmed him, and isolation invited more anxiety and sadness to his life. He said he was only pretending to live rather than enjoying life, and he did not see a possibility of happiness in his future. Currently, after 13 months in counseling, he has started his own small business and feels alive again! He is dating and is excited to start this new phase where he feels confident he can make his dreams come true!

Bob is a Navy Veteran in his 50s. When he came to Open Doors to Future Possibilities, he had lost all connection with his ex-wife, and his kids refused to communicate with him. He had been fired from five jobs as a result of not showing up, conflict with co-workers, and losing his temper. He was struggling with depression and not having the desire to live, and he said many times that he thought he could never feel happiness again. After 11 months of counseling at our center, Bob has been working as a mechanic at a car repair shop. He has established a new relationship with his kids who are now in their 30s, he communicates effectively with his ex-wife, and he enjoys spending quality time with his grandson. Now it’s been three months since he adopted a dog from the shelter nearby and named him Buddy. He routinely takes Buddy for walks and says that his dog has invited so much joy to his life. Bob credits Open Doors to Future Possibilities for helping him make these big changes.

Scott is an Army Veteran in his 40s. When he first came to our center, he was disappointed with his severed relationships with his loved ones. Years in combat had left him with both severe guilt and meaninglessness in his life, and the loss of his friend in combat remained dormant in his nightmares. He said he had no desire to continue to live in his torturous isolation. After 15 months of counseling at Open Doors to Future Possibilities, he was able to reestablish close relationships with friends and family members, and he is currently in a happy romantic relationship. He works as a security guard and enjoys what he does. He has not been experiencing the troubling nightmares for the last 5 months! Just recently he proposed to his girlfriend and he is hopeful about his future!

At the start of the year, David, a United States Army combat Veteran of eight years, joined our team! After David’s honorable discharge, he initially had aspirations of joining the police force because he wanted to use the skills that he’d developed during his time in the service to help his community. David also wanted to reconnect with his family, since he was barely able to see them during those eight years. After seeing several counselors throuh the V.A. (Veterans Affairs), David realized what he truly desired. It became his mission to help other combat Veterans reconnect with their families and dreams after returning home from their time in the service, and he aimed to do this by becoming a counselor himself. Later, in one of his phycology classes at San Jose State University, he met the founder of Open Doors to Future Possibilties, Dr. Simone Lundquist. Immediately, he was inspired by Dr. Lunduist’s teachings about a new perspective and approach to counseling services that was more in line with his values. Not long after that, he started taking classes at the Academy of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, where all of the counselors at Open Doors to Future Possibilites are trained by Dr. Lundquist herself.

After several months of delivering successful counseling services based on his training at the Academy of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, he was granted the opportunity to become the Director of our Veterans Program. With his firsthand experience, there is no better person to fill this position, and he actively passes his knowledge along to other members of the team, helping to make our Veterans Program stronger every day!