From Krazy to #KrazyEmpowered
Welcome to The KrazyGirl Project. This is a labor of love, created by Marci Wolff Ober, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and my 19 year old daughter Courtney Ober. We are passionate about our mission, which is to normalize mental health challenges and provide a clear path to achieving sustainable mental health and wellness.
The KrazyGirl Project represents the soul of a large portion of the population: teens, young adults, adults that have struggled for years and everyone who wants to be supportive and effective on the unpredictable and bumpy road we travel, as we move from Krazy to #KrazyEmpowered. How did we come to be adopted by this mission of love?
Courtney’s is the story of an entire generation of young people in our Insta-perfect age, where anxiety, depression and mental health challenges are all too commonplace. “I lost my friends, dropped out of my activities and became even more isolated. I began to fight with my parents. I could not sleep. I cried all the time. My self-hatred grew. By Halloween, I was in an extremely dark place. I wore my emotions on my sleeve, dressing in all black and wearing huge amounts of dark makeup. Self-harming was an everyday activity, and my parents were frantic. Even though my mother was a therapist, she could not help me.. Nothing we tried was working. As my depression and anxiety got worse, suicide thoughts crept in. I wanted to die.” Courtney’s is also the story of triumph, courage, compassion, and connection, paving the way for others to learn the exit strategy out of the escape room.. “I could not believe that things had come to this again. I had hit rock bottom. I became willing to do anything to get better. I was 18 years old and was determined that I would not be 50 and still going through this awful depression and anxiety. I was back down to nearly 100 pounds, a shell of a person. I knew then, I must fight for my life or I would lose it. There was no choice, I had to stand and fight”. Having learned what it takes to be well, Courtney speaks directly to young people who struggle, with deep understanding and the hard earned wisdom that can only come from experience.
Marci Ober, LMFT, is a Family Therapist with a successful private practice and more than 30 years of wide-ranging mental healthcare experience. “I believed that my KrazyDays were behind me until the torch was unknowingly passed on to my daughter, Courtney. After a long and bumpy life of my own, I finally got married and moved one last time, back home to New Jersey. I established my private practice, had kids, did yoga, and played Mah Jongg. I thought I was in the clear. My KrazyDays were behind me, right? I now know that Krazy is a devious shapeshifter that takes on many different forms. Somehow, without my knowledge or consent, my family dynamics rolled downhill and stuck to me like KrazyGlue. As much as I had consciously created the amazing life I had always wanted, and told no one about my past, it all came back around anyway. No amount of attachment parenting, homemade organic baby food, or the best private schools could prevent my kid from also becoming a KrazyGirl.“ Marci speaks to adults who suffer, as well as parents and loved ones who are facing the impossible task of providing assistance without really knowing what to do.
There is a tremendous hunger, not only for information but also to connect with others who going through the same things that we are. Although we all know that the mental health crisis is real on a macro level, it still exists in the shadows on a micro level. The deep shame of stigma and the pain of isolation can be even worse than the affliction itself. For parents, loved ones and of course those who are directly affected, living on the fringe is devastating.
Courtney and I have chosen to go all in with our personal stories because we value being open, vulnerable and real. We are the KrazyGirls that are lucky enough to have made it through to the other side. We believe our life’s purpose is to be the KrazyGirl ambassadors, sharing hope and important information with everyone who desires this. The mission of the KrazyGirl Project is enormous, but we are up for the task. We are so excited to connect and get to know you all.
We can’t wait to share everything we have learned, hear your stories, and share the journey together from Krazy to #KrazyEmpowered.