Position: Classroom Therapist, Ochoa Middle School
What led you to your current position? It is hard for me to summarize what has led me to my current position because I really believe it is the convergence of many different life experiences and values, but for the sake of a blog post I have to jump in somewhere! Before becoming a therapist, I taught middle and high school conflict resolution and geography. During my time as a teacher, I found myself really wanting to focus on my students outside of the classroom and what was impacting how they showed up at school, what their needs were outside of specific classroom demands, and how my classroom could become a supportive place for students in a holistic way. As much as I loved being a teacher, I found that I really wanted to transition into a role that focused more on mental health, so I decided to go to grad school with a goal of working in school-based mental health. One of the things that brought me to work as a therapist in a CEC setting is the opportunity to be a very integrated part of our youth’s daily experience and classroom community in and outside of individual and group therapy and be there to celebrate the progress and joyful moments as well as work as a team to support during challenges.
What inspires you to do this work? I think that my own experiences in my youth and working directly with youth in mental health and school systems and seeing the harm that has been caused by these systems has inspired me to try to transform them from the inside by rethinking what mental health support and school can look like. A classroom is a community that can be creatively co-created with your team, students, and families. Continuously reflecting on what could be done differently or in a new way keeps me engaged in the work. Another thing that inspires me is the ability to form deep and authentic relationships that allow room for all experiences-challenging and joyful. I believe that being able to express and be seen and accepted in the fullness of who you are is healing.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? An important lesson I have learned in this role is that healing looks different for different people and to take time to reflect on and question where your vision of healing is coming from, and who or what is being centered in that vision.
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: Something unique about me is that I know a weird amount of apple facts because I grew up on an apple orchard. I don’t get to use this skill very often but every once in a while, it comes in handy.
What led you to your current position? It is hard for me to summarize what has led me to my current position because I really believe it is the convergence of many different life experiences and values, but for the sake of a blog post I have to jump in somewhere! Before becoming a therapist, I taught middle and high school conflict resolution and geography. During my time as a teacher, I found myself really wanting to focus on my students outside of the classroom and what was impacting how they showed up at school, what their needs were outside of specific classroom demands, and how my classroom could become a supportive place for students in a holistic way. As much as I loved being a teacher, I found that I really wanted to transition into a role that focused more on mental health, so I decided to go to grad school with a goal of working in school-based mental health. One of the things that brought me to work as a therapist in a CEC setting is the opportunity to be a very integrated part of our youth’s daily experience and classroom community in and outside of individual and group therapy and be there to celebrate the progress and joyful moments as well as work as a team to support during challenges.
What inspires you to do this work? I think that my own experiences in my youth and working directly with youth in mental health and school systems and seeing the harm that has been caused by these systems has inspired me to try to transform them from the inside by rethinking what mental health support and school can look like. A classroom is a community that can be creatively co-created with your team, students, and families. Continuously reflecting on what could be done differently or in a new way keeps me engaged in the work. Another thing that inspires me is the ability to form deep and authentic relationships that allow room for all experiences-challenging and joyful. I believe that being able to express and be seen and accepted in the fullness of who you are is healing.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? An important lesson I have learned in this role is that healing looks different for different people and to take time to reflect on and question where your vision of healing is coming from, and who or what is being centered in that vision.
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: Something unique about me is that I know a weird amount of apple facts because I grew up on an apple orchard. I don’t get to use this skill very often but every once in a while, it comes in handy.
RSS Feed