Who I Am

Mental illness and trauma have touched my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a family with significant unacknowledged and unprocessed generational trauma that ran rampant, and many family members dealt with mental illnesses such as Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Addiction, Eating Disorders and Psychosis. Many family members sadly have passed away due to suicide, including a family member that I had a very complicated but close relationship with. The generational trauma as well as other forms of trauma in my life, combined with genetic predispositions, generated my own mental health issues.

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I was put on medications at a young age, and did play therapy around the age of six to seven, but other than that I didn't really get much mental health support until I was thirteen, when all the demons I faced/were facing caught up to me. I have since gone through multiple therapists, clinicians, psychiatrists, hospitalizations, medications and programs, some good, some not so great. I've had really good experiences with some people, and terrible abusive experiences with others. During my first year in intensive treatment, I had to learn a lot about my challenges, trauma and ways to manage it. It turned into a general special interest in psychology which sparked a passion for mental health advocacy.

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It's been a wild ride managing my mental health, but I'm beyond lucky I have access to care and resources for recovery and wellness. However, I wanted to do something beyond just working on myself. I wanted to find a way to reach others struggling in the way I have. All I've ever wanted to do since I was a little kid was to help people. When I was six, I wanted to be a nurse and help those who were sick. When I was eight, I wanted to help injured and suffering animals as a veterinarian. And when I was ten, I wanted to be a elementary or middle school teacher. While these career paths are all different, the underlying desire to help others remains consistent. 

By my freshman year of high school, I was fully dedicated to learning all about the human mind and experience so I could one day use that information to help people in need of mental health care. I took two psychology classes, did my own self studies and a lot of advocacy work. When I graduated high school, I graduated as a member of National Honor Society, and was enrolled in a local community college majoring in Psychology, which I am still studying at. I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and the president of our campus LGBT Club. I have switched my major to Social Work. Once I receive my Associates, I want to transfer to a BSW program. I also got accepted into Hartford Healthcare's RLA, which trained me as a Recovery Support Specialist. I passed my exam in November 2022 and was officially certified as of then. The way I've found that I can reach others is to use my experiences as a way to guide and educate others, and bring about a sense of hope for others suffering to know that they are not alone, they matter and that things can get better.

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I decided to dedicate my work to the mental health field because I have seen first hand how broken our system is, and how it is more important than ever that all people have access to quality, compassionate and informed mental health care. Especially in today's world where violence is at an all time high, human rights consistently are debated, and we are living in a post-pandemic environment, more and more people suffer from addiction, mental illness and trauma. All too many models of care are based on coercion, compliance and "band-aid" solutions. Many programs and clinics work with diagnoses, not the humans under their care and it is completely unacceptable that in a field that is supposed to help people heal, people end up being coerced, mistreated, belittled, neglected, and abused. People who struggle with these things are not bad. They are hurting. And they deserve healing and kindness. Mental illness does not strip one of their humanity, but the system often treats them like that. I want to help change this. Even if I'm only one person, I want to make a positive impact on each person I will come across in my line of work.

I am a firm believer in trauma informed, culturally competent, person centered, harm reductive and consensual mental health care. I believe that all people are deserving of full access to any services they need to not only survive, but to thrive while living with these challenges. Regardless of their sexuality, gender, religion, race, country of origin, appearance, diagnosis, disability, socioeconomic status and any other differences. For marginalized individuals in particular, it is hard to find support. I am dedicated to creating spaces that are healing, authentic and affirming for people, especially those who are not properly represented or treated appropriately in this field. My primary virtue has always been and will always be kindness. People who struggle with their mental health will NEVER be excluded from that. We all deserve love. We deserve healing. We all deserve recovery. I believe that God gave me my testimony for a reason- to help others. And thanks to my friend, savior, heavenly father, and lord, Jesus Christ, I am alive to make it happen.