My work experience and education will provide you with the support you will need as we work together.
In 1999, I earned my Emergency Medical Technician I. Working on an ambulance crew provided me with experience responding to a crisis with a sense of calm. All through our lives, varying emergencies present themselves. Applying emergencies to mental health, I can assist you with acquiring the skills you need to be able to respond, and advocate for yourself when needed. There is a sense of safety and empowerment that comes by being able to identify an emergency. Change can be uncomfortable and cause our hearts to race and can be mistaken for a crisis.
In 2006, I earned a bachelor’s degree in social work, with a minor in American Sign Language. Social Work emphasized one, the value of learning about one’s identity, culture and the resilience of that culture. Resilience is how you will survive and then learn how to thrive.
ASL is 90% facial expression, gestures and body posture. I observe much more than the words you say. The five senses are powerful healing tools that provide communication methods and are relied upon as you heal.
My work, of ten years, as a Life Coach, has provided me with insight into the wide array of disabilities. Working with unique individuals, they all came with an original point of view, and varying academic skill levels. I witnessed clients find vocational dream opportunities and continue on with their educational goals.
Working as a child and youth mental health clinician intern, in rural Alaska, solidified my desire to pursue an advanced education in counseling. I am currently working toward my master’s degree in professional clinical mental health counseling at Walden University and will graduate in May 2025.