I am undeniably a Midwesterner, from a tight knit rural community. I grew up doing community work through both my family and my church. Our contributions extended from local to international mission work. In my family if someone crossed our path that we could help, we did. And we were constantly finding new paths to cross. My father’s family hailed from the top financial one percent and my mother’s from the bottom. Each family rooted in this small town back four generations. My exposure to family has put me in the position to have a unique lens to apply towards generational trauma.
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I experienced what a colleague referenced as the “worst of the worst” of mental health treatment in that same small community. This involved maltreatment through severe overmedication and lack of much else. Individuals in that same area were subject to the same. I experienced a negligent and hostile legal hold in response to an episode of postpartum psychosis to follow the birth of my first child. I was aided to healing, in part, through herbal remedies not yet recognized in the state I reside. At that time, I was making plans to move away from the family I’d loved and home I’d always known to pursue a healthy life. Law enforcement involvement derailed my then plans and led to new ones. My place as a person of privilege was marked through my second chance.
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In the Fall of 2011, I sought a mission to use my second chance to be a voice for others at the sake of failing to meet my own family’s needs at times. In preparation for my professional career, I have built upon the lifetime of social studying I had already done as a neurodivergent. Please refer to the Professional Reference tab if you are interested in learning specifics on my educational, work, and volunteer experience which have shaped my approach and perspective and make me qualified for the work I do a.k.a. the resume.
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I am in a committed relationship of 17 years which has had to work through its own elements of trauma bonding. I have two neurodivergent children who I have been able to provide some preventative care. I went back to school for my BS when my first child was a year old and gave birth to my second ten days prior to graduation. We moved to the suburbs eight years ago for the school system, my school-aged child was being quickly left behind due to lack of resources in the rural area. My spouse and I had to work ridiculous hours and on opposite schedules to afford the amenities of the area we live, but we are here to make a better life for our kids through self-sacrifice. After finishing a three-year master of social work program with a focus in mental health and addictions, I am ready to implement an action plan to bring services back to the people I come from.
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I was fortunate in my openness during clinical supervision to earn the trust for a lot of innovation during the 900 hours I spent in graduate level practicum. I have decades of direct exposure to the mental health system both personally and professionally. The way I fight stigma is to be open about my own personal struggles. We have so much to learn from shared experiences. I have an authentic and direct approach to assisting people through troubling situations which are having impact to their mental wellness. I am passionate about finding creative and individualised ways to navigate whole person treatments in a nonjudgmental manner.
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