David Stowell’s eyes welled up when he spoke about that time—a two-year period between 1983 and 1985 when he said his life “went to chaos.”

He reluctantly spoke of that chaos, referring to it only as a set of “catastrophic episodes,” during which he dropped out of Illinois State University, quit computer programming, plunged drastically into debt and generally neglected all forms of responsibility, all while battling bouts of deep depression that came and went at a feverish pace.

In Joliet, at a mental health center, he found the cause: bipolar disorder. And though he’s spent 20 years battling his illness, it wasn’t until the last year that he’s truly found happiness: when he walked through the doors of Thresholds Transitions.

For 50 years, Thresholds has treated people with mental illnesses, offering programs in more than 100 locations throughout Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kankakee counties. Transitions, its Skokie facility, has been in business 25 of those years, mainly treating people from Skokie, Evanston, Park Ridge, Niles and Morton Grove.

The goal at Thresholds is to give its members the support and skills necessary to lead an independent life—one chosen by the individual, not the institution.

“In the past, mental health illnesses were treated by people telling the patient what they should be doing,” said Kate Collentine, a Thresholds Transitions health treatment/employment supervisor. “Thresholds operates as a recovery-based partnership. We realize there’s no way we’ll ever know more about a person or what’s good for them than they’ll know. We let the members take the lead.”

Members come to Thresholds in a variety of ways: as referrals through hospitals, community agencies, Illinois’ Department of Human Services, or as self-referrals. Some have substance abuse problems to go along with their mental illness; others held well-paying jobs and led productive lives before their mental illness took control.

Once at Thresholds, members are paired with a community support individual whose job, Collentine said, is to support the member “in any way they may need to live in the community.”

Support can come in many forms, from assisting in setting up bank accounts and finding housing to art therapy and grocery shopping tips.

One of the main areas of support offered at Thresholds—and the one that drew Stowell—is its supported employment program, which provides members with assistance in finding and keeping a job.

Employment specialists, like Collentine, help with job searches, resume writing and interview skills. They at times act as agents, networking with potential employers, introducing their members as job candidates.

Members choose the profession they’d like to enter because, as Collentine said, “people are happier when they like the job they’re at.” Of course, not every job can be attained, but Collentine said employment specialists try to find jobs that are as closely related as possible to a member’s goal.

The search, Collentine said, is for competitive employment. Employment specialists look for community jobs that pay minimum wage or more, not “supportive workshops,” which she said are typically sheltered environments where individuals work with other people with mental disabilities, usually being paid per the particular item made.

One challenge to finding employment for her members is in overcoming misconceptions concerning mental illness.

“The biggest one I see is that people with mental illness can’t work,” Collentine said. “We have amazing individuals; I’m working with someone right now with a master’s degree from Princeton.”

Another common misconception, she said, regards safety.

“People think mental illness equals violence,” she said. She’s seen no instances of violence in her three years at Thresholds; her co-worker saw nothing in the last 10 years.

“People, whether they know it or not, have someone in their life who has a mental illness,” she said. “People with mental illness can live their lives just as well as anyone else.”

Once employment is found, the support does not end. Collentine said specialists follow the member on average anywhere from three months to one year, depending on the member’s wishes. And the support doesn’t stop with the member. Thresholds specialists also work with employers after a member is hired, but only if the member agrees to have his or her illness disclosed to the employer.

If so, Thresholds specialists communicate with the employer to ensure that member is performing on the job. Sometimes, Collentine said, an employer may call and ask a specialist to perform additional training with a member, which is then done.

Thresholds has successfully built working relationships with several employers, including clothing retailer Banana Republic, which has hired Thresholds members for the past 12 years.

“Thresholds does a good job of pre-screening their candidates and providing us with the appropriate people to fill the necessary positions,” said Banana Republic spokeswoman Nancy Brandes. “We have the ongoing support of the Thresholds vocational team. We have employed Thresholds members in at least 14 stores and they have been hard working, loyal employees. You can often see the pride in their faces.”

That pride was splashed across Stowell’s face as he talked about his music production company, Ravenslake Music Productions, which he formed in May with the assistance of Thresholds.

“Thresholds has been quite a help in terms of finding different resources that can help out in getting my business going,” he said.

Resources like the company’s promotional brochure, paid for by a Thresholds grant, or the music-business course he’s taking at Chicago’s Music Industry Workshop, paid for with state funds obtained with the help of Thresholds.

Obtaining state funds is getting all the more important for Thresholds given the current economic situation. Members do not pay for Thresholds. According to the company’s 2008 annual report, the bulk of its revenue comes from state and federal government funds, with smaller contributions coming from donations and private funds.

And with the current state of the job market, Collentine and her team are increasing their efforts to compete for limited openings.

Member resumes often have work gaps—time spent addressing health concerns, which cause difficulties.

“Right now, with employers having stacks of thousands of resumes to go through, they don’t even need to look at the one that has work gaps,” she said. “One way we’re working on that is to do a lot more networking with employers.”

The focus remains on supporting members.

“It’s about helping someone reach their goals,” Collentine said, “and move on with their lives without us.”

Though not there yet, Stowell is moving in that direction. He said business was going well and keeping him busy. The same held true for his mental health.

“I haven’t had any serious episodes for a very long time,” he said. “Perhaps there are moments [of struggle] now-a-days, but it’s not nearly the struggle that it could be. I remember from back before I was diagnosed—before I was in treatment— and it’s a night and day difference.”

For more information about Ravenslake Music Productions, go to www.ravenslake-music.com.

For more information about Thresholds, go to www.thresholds.org.

–Jonathan Bullington/Triblocal.com reporter