Meet One of Our Awesome Staff!

Hello, my name is Loretta B. Dunn. In 1998 I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), major depression, and anxiety. I went for years before that believing I was damaged goods. The causes of my diagnoses started when I was two months old. My birth mother left me with a cousin, who then passed me to three others in the first two years of my life. My story goes on to include incest and mental, physical, and emotional abuse. I was raped four times, had two miscarriages, and one stillborn baby. I lost my son who fell to his death at the age of 16 months. All of this led me to a life of alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, cigarettes, being abused by men. And that let me down a dark path and a brief imprisonment. But then I came to The Crossroads Center and everything changed.

Today, with the help of medications and talk therapy, I have a strength beyond my wildest beliefs. I’ve developed good self-awareness and a spirit that I can do whatever I desire. My passion, gifts, and desires are to help others learn that people with mental illness have abilities unbeknownst to them. For us, there is no cure, no final healing. We have continuous challenges just like people with heart trouble, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. But we can learn to manage our illness with the right support team.

I now work at The Crossroads Center as a Certified Peer Support Specialist, helping our clients find their self-worth and gain a deeper personal insight. I share that “you are not your illness.” I love helping people like me achieve their own personal excellence. I learned to drive after overcoming my fear. I got my bachelor’s degree in my 50s and found my passion career at a late age. I’ve learned that anything is possible and want to help others do the same. I am a success story and happy to share my journey with others.