March 2025
John A
Clark
,
ADN
Child/Adolescent Psychiatry
UnityPoint Health-Meriter
Madison
,
WI
USA
John's warm and gentle approach, paired with his sarcasm and humor, allowed my daughter to put her walls down and accept the help she needed.
I had just arrived with my 12-year-old daughter after a long day at the ED due to suicidal thoughts - our third time at the ED for this. It took many hours to get her to reluctantly agree to CAP. When the first nurse walked in, she questioned my daughter that she was there of her own free will, and my daughter said no. The nurse said they would only take her if she said yes. I began to panic asking what to do now if she didn't say yes and the nurse went to get John Clark. He came into the room and gently talked with my daughter and me. I was very upset because I didn't know what else to do and didn't know what to do if she didn't agree. He asked me to leave the room and he just sat with my daughter. When I returned, we slowly started talking through the paperwork and giving her the opportunity to listen and observe. John talked about the unit and what it's like and made my daughter start to warm up to the idea. Halfway through the paperwork, my daughter moved from across the room to sitting at the table with us. John's warm and gentle approach, paired with his sarcasm and humor, allowed my daughter to put her walls down and accept the help she needed. After she was admitted and John walked me out, he told me he would make sure she was safe and made my Momma heart feel better. My daughter would later tell me how much she enjoyed John's presence and he was her favorite nurse at the unit. His kindness has stuck with me, and I am extremely grateful for how he approached our situation to help gain her trust in a very challenging situation.