Jacqueline Coulson-Clements is an 80-year-old resident of the Annapolis Valley who has been passionate about mental health for many years. She uses her lived experience with Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, to provide hope and support to others.
Jackie Couslon-Clements, 2021 Let’s Keep Talking Award Recipient for Outstanding Senior
“As a young mother I found myself on a ward at the Nova Scotia Hospital and noted one child on the same unit amidst many troubled adults,” says Jackie. “As a mom my instinct was to reach out and provide nurturing care and protection. At first untouchable, it was not long before I was able to see her smile. It became so apparent how respect and caring can help give life back to souls so hurting and lost due to emotional pain and neglect. I quickly learned how reaching out and helping others also helped me regain my own self-respect.”
Jackie has written an information booklet for newly diagnosed patients with DID, and has lent support to individuals as they process their new diagnosis. She has provided peer counseling for people in crisis, and facilitated support groups in her area. Jackie is an active member of many community organizations, including CORAH – Centre of Rural Aging and Health, as well as the United Church, where she works on the Outreach Committee, and formerly the Mental Health Consumer Participation Committee.
“Jackie is an outstanding elder in our community,” says her friend Christine-Marie Gladu. “She talks about her condition with openness and allows herself to be vulnerable. She is an active member of community organizations, among which is the United Church Outreach committee where she works with people who live with mental illness. Jackie has a way of connecting with them that I find out of the ordinary. She deeply cares for others and is truly a role model not only for the elderly but for all.”
Jackie lives with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a complex posttraumatic developmental disorder characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states. It causes frequent periods of dissociation in response to stress creating gaps in memory. Looking back, Jackie says she had likely been living with the condition since childhood, but it would take decades to finally receive a correct diagnosis.
“Jacqueline epitomizes what it means to live well with mental illness,” says President & CEO Starr Cunningham. “Not only does she act as a role model, but she supports others in their mental health journey and encourages her fellow community members to take an active role in their health and wellness. Congratulations, Jackie. You are truly changing the way people think.”
Congratulations Jackie Coulson-Clements, our 2021 Let’s Keep Talking Award Recipient for Outstanding Senior. (Sponsored by The Berkeley)