Episode 96: Laura Craciun

Written By Susie Gurley

This episode of The Just A Mom Podcast features a conversation with parent and advocate Laura Craciun. Laura shares her journey as a parent of an adult child who suffers from a serious mental illness and how difficult it is for families of adults to help their loved ones receive the treatment they need.  Laura’s son’s journey started right before he turned 18, at which time parents are no longer able to act on behalf of their children. Laura’s son’s journey has included multiple hospitalizations as well as ongoing legal issues. Laura is passionate about educating people on anosognosia (https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/common-with-mental-illness/anosognosia/), which is a lack of awareness of one’s own illness. Laura says that 50-60 percent of those struggling with a serious mental illness also have anosognosia, and this likely interferes with the patient seeking the proper treatment. Laura wants everyone to know about Assisted Outpatient Treatment Laws. These laws work to help individuals receive proper treatment and divert them away from the justice system and inappropriate incarceration.

With the rise in the legalization of marijuana, Laura also advocates for parents to understand Cannabis-induced psychosis and the rise of this problem among teens and young adults (https://learnaboutsam.org/,
https://johnnysambassadors.org/stopdabbing/?gad_source=1).

Susie Gurley

Susie Stapp Gurley was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She married her college sweetheart, Dan Gurley, shortly after graduating from TCU with a degree in advertising and public relations. In her first career, Susie worked in college admissions and academic advising. Simultaneously she pursued a master’s degree from The University of Central Missouri in sociology and then worked for the Sedgwick County, KS Department of Aging as a case worker. Susie stepped away from the professional world in 1997 to become a stay-at-home mom. She spent the majority of the last 25 years as a wife, mother, and volunteer, primarily in her church and her three children’s schools and activities.

Susie became a mental health advocate after her youngest son became a teen spokesperson about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In 2018, at the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, a music festival promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Will shared his personal mental health struggles with the 1,000-person crowd, which started his role as a local KC teen advocate for mental health. Because of Will’s involvement, Susie recorded a video #Zeroreasonswhy (https://zeroreasonswhy.org), a Kansas City area organization working to end teen suicide in the Johnson County, Kansas area. This video was viewed over 10,000 times, which was the impetus of the Just A Mom podcast. Susie decided that she needed to follow the brave trail blazed by her son and became an outspoken advocate for parents of children who struggle with mental illness. The Just a Mom podcast launched in September of 2022 and encourages parents to know that they are not alone and there is hope.

Susie served as the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival and is currently on the Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Board. Susie has grown three children, two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law.

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Episode 97: Diana Partington
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Episode 95: Allies in Recovery (https://alliesinrecovery.net)