Resilient Hope
How Amberwing provided safety, support & a path forward
At first glance, 17-year-old Nissa Johnson is a typical high-achieving high school senior.
They attend Denfeld High School, where they serve as president of the National History Day Club, captain of the Speech Team, and a member of the Drama Department. Like many teenagers, they have also worked at Target and Ulta, fueled by a passion for makeup and creative expression.
With college on the horizon, Nissa plans to study sociology and biology, with the goal of pursuing a career in rheumatology.
But behind those accomplishments is a journey that has not been easy.
When things became overwhelming
In the summer before their sophomore year, Nissa began experiencing sudden, involuntary physical symptoms and was later diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). While they worked to manage those physical challenges through therapy and medical care, the emotional toll began to grow.
By their junior year, Nissa began facing mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. The weight of it all felt overwhelming.
When their therapist recommended Amberwing, Nissa’s parents, Heidi and Bret, knew it was time for more comprehensive support.
“We were ready to do anything we could to help Nissa,” Heidi says.
Finding support & safety at Ambering
Nissa participated in Amberwing’s partial hospitalization program twice, once in 2024 and again in 2025. Through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Nissa learned practical coping skills to manage intense emotions, including tools to pause before reacting, communicate effectively and prepare for stressful situations.
Heidi credits Amberwing’s team-based approach as a critical part of that experience. Along with individual and group therapy, Nissa participated in art therapy, pet therapy, occupational therapy and psychiatric care. Each service worked together to support the whole person.
For Nissa, that sense of support created something equally important: a feeling of safety. In that safe environment, Nissa felt free to express themselves fully, and art became one of the most meaningful ways to do so.
“Amberwing gave me a really awesome space where I felt truly one hundred percent safe, all the time,” Nissa says. “It was so comforting.”
Nissa still attends group therapy today, and says it’s something they look forward to, valuing the consistency, safety and camaraderie of the close-knit group.
Hope that lasts
For Nissa, Amberwing was not just about managing symptoms. It was about rebuilding belief in the future.
“Amberwing gave me hope,” they say. “Hope for the future. To be able to feel that hope—it’s indescribable. Not quantifiable. If people have the means to donate so others can find that hope, it means everything.”
When asked what they would want the Amberwing team to know, Nissa doesn’t hesitate.
“I hope they know that anything I’m able to do in the future, and any way I’m able to help other people, is because of their support,” they say. “Anything good I’m able to do is because I had the opportunity to be at Amberwing.”
For Nissa and their family, Amberwing was more than treatment.
It was unwavering support.
Unwavering safety.
Unwavering belief in what’s possible.
