Health, Healing and New Beginnings: Marcos’ Story

Marcos first connected with Just in Time (JIT) last November. “I asked if they had anybody to talk to, like mentors or therapists,” he recalls. Therapy wasn’t new, he’d first experienced counseling while incarcerated. 

Released in 2022 after spending five years in California Youth Authority, Marcos faced the daunting task of starting over. “When I went in, I was a teenager who never had a job, never had a car. I had to figure out how to be an adult,” he says. For two years, he navigated that transition mostly alone until discovering JIT. 

Through JIT, Marcos accessed individual therapy sessions and joined a DBT group focused on managing emotions and stress. He also became part of Rise to Resilience’s My Life, My Story men’s cohort, which centers on building healthy relationships. The group’s outings have given him chances to try new things. 

“I had never been to a hockey game, so when we went to the Gulls game, I was pretty excited,” he says. “I’d also never been to Balboa Park or the Friendship Garden. And one night we learned to make dumplings. I’d never done any of that, so that was awesome!” 

Opening up is still hard. Marcos has always kept a small circle and sometimes fears judgment. Yet he keeps showing up, attending therapy, and embracing new experiences. 

“I don’t think therapy would have helped me if I didn’t let it,” he reflects. “I’ve learned skills so that if I get too heated, I can cool down… even when someone cuts me off on the freeway, I can think, ‘I hope they get home safe.’”