| Submitted by Mary Wildfire
A young girl who tried twice to kill herself, because she is so depressed and feels worthless, talks to a therapist who helps see her own value.
A recently divorced thirty-year old man with anger issues gets help from another therapist.
A doctor prescribes an antidepressant for an old man who was wasting away and doing nothing, and soon he is gaining wait and able to care for himself again.
A middle-aged man with schizophrenia comes in with his mother to see the doctor; he can't live on his own but the medication enables him to live peacefully at home.
A little boy comes in because his teachers think he has ADHD and needs medication, but others agree that he does not.
Another child, however benefits from the medication.
And then there are the people who receive help getting away from drug and alcohol use, including the participants in a six-week DUI class.
Meanwhile, in the day program downstairs and in four group homes, people with mental retardation or developmental delays are helped with the simple tasks of life.
They find a reason to get up in the morning. They're taught how to complete simple tasks like sweeping or heating a can of soup; they're integrated into the community by going shopping or to a ballgame...things most of us take for granted. They learn to make appropriate choices, and how to cope with life situations that arise.
Westbrook Health Services is a comprehensive community behavioral health center serving the citizens of West Virginia. Westbrook's office to serve Roane and Calhoun County is in Spencer, with other offices in Parkersburg, St. Mary's and Ripley.
The Spencer office's phone number is 927-5200.
It isn't hard to find if you go down 119 and turn onto Highway 36, right after the elementary school you'll see the brown building, down below the bank on the left.
It's a nice building, with big windows and a pretty view of green countryside - but the office isn't important. The people - the staff and clients - are the heart of Westbrook. | 
