About Find the Light Online Support Group

"In 2003 I had a vision of creating a place on the net for people to come together to talk and receive support-for those suffering from mental illness. Based on my own personal experience, I knew that giving and receiving support was integral to anyone wishing to recover from debilitating mental illness. I personally was in my own recovery from depression and anxiety so I had a vested personal interest. I brought together my technical skills with my strong desire to give and receive help-this is how Find the Light (FTL) was "born". Tristine

Today FTL has grown into a solid entity on the net that many have come to rely on daily for support and education. Find the Light's mission is twofold. The private support group is where approved members come together in a private community based on positive support. It is heavily moderated and monitored in order to ensure the safety, comfort, and privacy of each member. I want the group to be a place where people can come and get validation, encouragement, and peer support.

Being an educator/trainer at heart I am passionate that those that suffer be educated and aware of what's ailing them. The other part of the website focuses on just this . I have a very strong belief that in order for anyone to recover we must first understand what is going on with our minds and bodies.  If you are interested in seeing information on something specific that I don't have listed please email me by clicking here.

The private support group can be found by clicking on the "Online Support Forum" link on the vertical menu bar to the left of any page on the site. There currently is a $4.99 charge per month, based only on months used. When signing up you will experience our screening process which consists of an automatic email to you with questions for you to answer. Please reply to those and I will then let you know of the status for admission. We are for adults only so no minors may participate.

For those of you that are teens I do hope you can call on your school counselor, parents, a pastor-someone that you can talk to about what may be bothering you. We are a group that encourages positive, healthy exchanges of support. We do not provide therapy and we do not indulge in confrontational exchanges. We get enough of that in our "face to face" world. Screening is the first step to ensuring the safety and integrity of the group."

Tristine Barry, MS, CTT+ (View my LinkedIn profile here.)

Founder, Site-Wide Administrator

Tristine Barry, MS, has a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. She has a passion for education in addition to helping those that have suffer from mental illness. In addition to her Master's she has completed CEUs targeted towards addictions and mental health issues. Having counseling experience she brings to the site what she has learned not only in theory but first-hand. She spends her time researching and educating herself in order to be a better professional and site administrator.

In addition to the above, Tristine brings to the table over fifteen years experience in the technology field, primarily in software use and training, including Most Microsoft apps with strong familiarity in Microsoft Office, Windows, and Internet Explorer. She is a certified as a technical trainer with Comptia. She does most of her own writing and editing of the site.

With vast experiential knowledge her aim of this site is to offer information and provide a forum for peer support for those suffering from afflictions such as mood disorders, anxiety, and substance abuse. However, she realizes there are many other ways we can suffer and welcomes anyone to the site that may benefit.

The information provided on Find the Light is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.

Senior Director, Online Support Forum

"My diagnoses include but are not limited to Bipolar Disorder I, Ultradian Cycler, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I am also parent to children with similar disorders.

The majority of my time is spent in researching, educating and sharing my experience in the patient and caregiver perspectives in the hopes of creating a conscious awareness among others specifically parents, teachers, and other influential people that profoundly affect children's lives that live with mental illness. It is paramount to me that people should be educated in the warning signs, and the need for early detection and treatment of mental illness in children. With accurate and early diagnosis I believe children can be spared many of the obstacles that a lot of others have experienced with mental illness. The children are our future and are foremost in my heart when I think ahead to hopefully a time where all stigmas against mental illnesses can be abolished.

I immensely enjoy the volunteering positions that have been afforded to me within different arenas not just that of mental health. Having the opportunity to communicate with others such as myself, lend an ear, send a hug, or simply be there for someone else when you know what it is like to walk in their shoes can be the most rewarding feeling in the world.

Being a part of Find the Light is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things that I do on a daily basis. It truly is a wonderful community that has been built, and it is exciting to be a part of this growing site that has already touched so many lives. What each individual brings to the table is what makes this site what it has become."


LShalott