Morris/Sussex County, NJ – In high school, former Youth Advocate Programs®’ Morris/Sussex County, NJ program participant Ellie M. suffered from panic attacks and anxiety which affected her coursework and day to day functions.
Then in 2019, she was connected to YAP® Morris/Sussex County, NJ’s Behavioral Health Program where through school based services, was provided with a licensed clinician who supported Ellie M. with her emotional and behavioral challenges.
“YAP enabled me to regain my life back,” Ellie M. said. “They taught me grounding and coping strategies that I still refer back to today and that I have also used to help others in my life dealing with anxiety. They supported me through some of the worst moments of my life.”
YAP® is a national nonprofit in 32 states and Washington, D.C., providing services that reduce the nation’s overreliance on youth incarceration, residential care, group homes and other out-of-home placements. Celebrating its 50th year in 2025, YAP® partners with public systems to provide community-based wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to residential care and incarceration.
YAP® connects young people and their parents/guardians and other relatives to individualized rehabilitative and behavioral health services and economic, educational and emotional tools that address complex needs and firm the family foundation. Neighborhood-based YAP® Advocates, Behavioral Health professionals and other staff work to empower program participants to be successful once services end.
By the end of her time with YAP®, Ellie M. says she felt like the biggest achievement was that she no longer was struggling significantly with panic attacks, having only experienced one panic attack throughout her entire senior year of high school.
“That was huge, but what I realized after was the benefits I reaped from my time with YAP® went so much further than that,” Ellie M. said. “They taught me how to understand those around me, to extend forgiveness and grace and protect my own peace, and to have compassion with myself and others. They taught me that my needs were just as important as those around me and how to prioritize my own well-being. But what I have felt was most important is that they taught me to persist in advocating for myself; that I had a voice and my concerns mattered.”
Ellie M. is a senior in college. For the second year, she is the recipient of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education, which provided $1,200 for her school tuition. Eligible current and former YAP® program participants, along with their parents/guardians, can apply for the scholarship annually for tuition and fees assistance or a laptop computer. The Endowment is mostly funded through YAP® payroll deductions.
“If I am able to receive support through the Endowment Fund, I can cover the cost for the last course I am taking this summer so that I can apply for graduation in July,” Ellie M. wrote in her scholarship essay. “This will alleviate the financial pressure from myself and my family who do not have the funds to cover this cost and allow me to fully dedicate myself to the completion of this course and my degree. Being able to have this degree will also open up opportunities for me to start working in the field and dedicate myself to applying for graduate programs to further my education.”
Ellie M. was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in college and hopes to pursue a masters in school counseling or psychology so that she can advocate for others like her herself when she needed support.
“YAP has had a tremendous impact on my life and my current trajectory, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be connected with them when I needed help most,” she added. “I want to continue that by allowing others to be seen, heard, and given a voice.”
For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.
*Editor’s Note: YAP® is using a pseudonym per the wishes of the former program participant to protect her and her family’s privacy.
