Tim Funk says "I'll Go First" to start conversation about behavioral health care
After serving in the first Gulf War, Tim Funk wasn’t sure what to do next.
“I got out of the Marine Corps in 1996 and I was struggling with mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Tim said.
Those struggles included at least two attempted suicides.
Tim Funk left the Marine Corps in 1996 and struggled with post-military life. After using alcohol to deal with mental health issues, Tim decided to seek help.
“I did a lot of self-medication, It wasn’t until I had some run-ins with law enforcement as far as what my behavior was doing, whether it was substance abuse or anger management, that I decided to make some changes.”
After realizing he wasn’t who he wanted to be and seeking help for his PTSD and alcohol abuse, Tim pondered what to do with the rest of his life. He thought back to his younger days and what made him feel “like I was worth something and that I had value.”
That led him to equine therapy and Stockhands Horse for Healing, an equine therapy-based nonprofit organization that opened in 2014. Tim now serves as Stockhands’ Executive Director.
”The healing process with riding horses, or actually just working or being with horses…the horse is actually our therapist in a sense,” Tim says.
Tim Funk now serves as Executive Director of Stockhands Horses for Healing, a nonprofit equine therapy provider “where human and animal relationships can flourish through effective and creative equine-assisted therapeutic services.
”it allows us to be present, be in the moment, and the horse has no judgment on us. It doesn’t judge us on our skin color or religion or political opinions or anything else like that. They are just present with us.”
When it comes to ending stigmas against treatment and encouraging people to “go first” in talking about or seeking help for behavioral health issues, Tim says “there is no normal” and people should never be ashamed of asking for help.
About “I’ll Go First”
"I'll Go First" is a campaign by the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board to start important conversations about behavioral health care. Everyone struggles at some point in their life, but some people still view mental health as a difficult thing to bring up. That's why we're asking some people you may know to "go first."
You can find the first “I’ll Go First” episode with former Powell Mayor Jon Bennehoof here, and the second episode with Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton here.
If you're in crisis or need assistance, call HelpLine at 1-800-684-2324 or text "HelpLine" to 898211.
You can find other resources at dmmhrsb.org or by scanning the QR code at the end of this video.