My Career and Life Experiences have become the Bedrock of my Profession…
I began my career over twenty years ago as a Licensed Psychiatric Social Worker in an inpatient facility, where I continued to work for fifteen years. I was freshly out of school, equipped with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Psychology, and was fortunate enough to be hired while completing my internship.
My first life lesson came shortly thereafter when the chief of staff gave me the privilege of selecting four adolescent patients deserving of the ‘afternoon out.’ Despite a vague warning about
one of my selectees being a flight risk, I felt completely confident in my choices. Equipped with one male assistant, we set out for the park and a great slice of pizza. As we placed our order, one of the selectees asked to be excused to go to the restroom. It seemed harmless enough, although we would soon learn that our “flight risk” had stolen a lighter from the waiter, walked into the restroom, and set his hair on fire.
It seems that with every mistake,
there is a life lesson meant to be carried forward to cultivate and guide our future toward more well-informed, healthy choices. From this experience, I learned to take the diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder very seriously!…regardless of the selectee’s Oscar-worthy performance of the flawless patient.
To date, my most difficult and rewarding job, all rolled into one, was my time spent as a SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mother). I wish there had been a degree to hang on my wall that reinforced that I knew what I was doing. Instead, this is where I perfected the idea, once again, that our most valuable 
lessons are learned through our mistakes. On the bright side, my husband and I successfully raised three happy, well-nourished children, who are now leading fulfilling lives of their own.
Finally, to further solidify my current career choice, I worked as School Social Worker with kindergartners through the sixth grade. I can genuinely say that I learned more from them than they ever did from me. They were intuitive, creative, athletic, sly, highly emotional, intelligent, and wholly authentic. I made it my mission always to be prepared, but for some reason, I was never able to adequately answer their questions. I absolutely loved this experience! I saw bullying firsthand and to my amazement, I often saw groups of kids standing up for one another and even somehow finding helpful insights for the actual 
bully. I consider this opportunity a true blessing.
Each of my work experiences has provided a map pointing me toward exactly what I was meant to be…a Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
