Tracey Yokas creates stuff. When she isn’t writing about mental health and wellness, she can be found playing with paint, glitter, and glue. Art fuels her passion for connection. She shares about her family’s journey with mental illness so others will know they are not alone and that hope is real. She is dedicated to supporting women in the journey towards authenticity, and fulfills her mission by creating safe spaces where art, words, and vulnerability meet in a dynamic, supportive community. Tracey earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology from California Lutheran University and lives in Newbury Park, CA, with her family, cats, and fish. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @traceyyokas or on her website at www.traceyyokascreates.com.

Tracey Yokas had everything she wanted: a loving husband and a beautiful daughter. Life looked perfect. So why was she unhappy?

Tracey’s perfect-looking façade crumbled when thirteen-year-old Amelia was diagnosed with depression and an eating disorder. When Tracey discovered blood around the house, she realized that Amelia was cutting herself. Desperate, she and her husband did everything they could to help Amelia get better—to no avail. As her daughter spiraled out of control, Tracey was confronted with heartbreak she’d never imagined possible, as well as the realization that the system that was supposed to help her daughter was horribly flawed.

This descent into darkness and fear for her daughter’s life led Tracey, one painful step at a time, to peel back the layers of armor she’d spent years collecting. She had to reevaluate her values and confront her beliefs, habits, and patterns. In short, she had to lead by example—had to learn how to care, truly care, about herself in order to teach Amelia to do the same. In the end, the key to helping her daughter was first helping herself.