My future self will be a successful licensed clinical social worker working with eating disorder patients as a mental health professional.

If I went to Hogwarts I would be sorted into Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws love learning and are known for their cleverness, wisdom, wit and intellectual ability. Truth be told I am somewhat of a nerd. I love to read First and foremost I have read the Harry Potter books twice and read anything I can get my hands on. I have also pursued higher education not once but twice. I strive to get straight A's and am upset if I don't. Like Luna Lovegood I don't conform to what everyone else thinks is normal and I march to the beat of my own drum. I have always done really well in school. I got a 3.45 when I went to Midway for an equine studies degree and I'm aiming for a 3.5 at EKU. I am creative; I write songs and poems mostly for myself or in my head and not on paper. As a Ravenclaw, I also find ways to problem solve and find new solutions to problems that I might face. For instance at my place of work at a domestic violence shelter, I teach a financial literacy class and the class I was teaching seemed to be too difficult for some people. I searched the internet and did some research into how I can better teach the class and I found a better teaching method that seems to work for the clients. I am studying psychology at EKU and one of my favorite things to do is write a research paper. I love doing research on a topic that interests me and then compiling the data I find into a paper. I have been in two classes where I had to do this, in one class I wrote it on a topic I picked and in the other class the topic was picked for me. In both instances I found it enjoyable and I earned an A. One of the professors said that earning an A on the paper wasn't possible but I did. Now I don't know if he was just saying that to get us to work harder but I got an A anyway. I also go to the library every couple of weeks to get new books to read. Learning has been my passion for as long as I can remember which is why I want to pursue a masters degree once I am done with my psychology degree. Like a Ravenclaw I value individuality and I can be a little quirky and eccentric. I think that all of the houses have something special to add to the magical world of Harry Potter but Ravenclaw has always resonated with me because of their love of education and learning.

If I could choose one book for everyone in the world to read it would be Where the Redfern Grows. I first read it when I was about 9 or 10 and it quickly became one of my favorite books. I loved Billy and his determination to get those redbone hounds. I being an animal lover myself was hooked at the idea that the book was in part about dogs and the unbreakable bond between man and dog. I found the book to be heartwarming, inspirational and sad all rolled into one. It showed the importance of hard work and dedication. The book was one of the first books that I read that made me an avid lover of reading. I felt so many emotions while reading this book and cried like a baby at the end. I think some of the best books can make a person feel something whether it be anger, sadness, or joy this book made me happy and ripped my heart out all at the same time. I felt for Billy and put myself in his shoes (or lack thereof). When I was in middle school we had to do a book report on any book for one of my classes and one of my brothers chose Where the Redfern Grows on my recommendation. Alex is visually impaired so my mom read the book aloud to him. When she got to the part where Little Ann and Big Dan die they couldn't get through it. Seeing as how I had read the book before I thought surely I could read the rest of this book but I was sobbing right along with my mom. We got through the book and it became one of my brother's favorite books as well. I think that the right book, can touch the hearts of many and have a lasting effect on a person. This book did that for me. I would want everyone to read it to see not only what a great book it is but to feel something special. While the end is bittersweet and there is no happy ending it shows the lasting bond between a man and his dogs. It shows that true love doesn't only come from a partner but it can come from a faithful pet.

My experience with mental health has affected me in many ways. I used to cut myself and was severely depressed and I had an eating disorder. I was also recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My eating disorder and cutting had gotten in the way of my going to school. I had to withdraw from school after a couple of semesters due to issues that arose from my eating disorder and cutting behaviors. I went to rehab where I got treatment for an eating disorder, cutting, and substance abuse issues. Once I was out of treatment I went to a vet tech school but I was still exhibiting unhealthy behaviors and I was unable to put my full attention into my studies. I scraped by without learning as much as I needed to. From there, feeling dejected that I couldn't pass my boards I went back to school again, this time in equine studies. I got a new job and I liked it but it was extremely stressful and I had a psychotic break. Before the episode I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been prescribed a new medicine, I was also on Adderall because I had trouble concentrating. The new medicine, the Adderall and the stress of the job caused me to have a severe manic episode which in turn caused me to get a DUI. This caused me to lose my job. I wasn't sure what to do next so after getting the DUI taken care of and getting my license back I decided to yet again go back to school. This time I decided to get a psychology degree. I was always interested in psychology and with everything I had been through with my mental health, I wanted to learn more about it. I want to pursue a career as a therapist by getting my MSW and achieving my LCSW. My experience has changed my beliefs around mental health I now believe that it is important to take care of your mental health and seeing a psychiatrist and/or therapist doesn't mean there is something wrong with you or that you are weak. My relationships have only grown stronger through my struggles and I know that the people in my corner will be there for me no matter what and want to see me succeed. I have only had positive experiences with the mental health industry. Everybody that I have talked to regarding my mental health from therapists to my psychiatrist has been nothing but supportive and helpful. While I don't like having these issues and I wish that I hadn't had so many setbacks in my life because of them I have learned a great deal about myself and my ability to overcome all obstacles. My career goals are because of what I have been through, I want to be able to help people suffering from mental health issues like me because getting help has made a huge impact on me and my decision to become a therapist.

When I was in high school I had my first ever psychology class and I fell in love with it. The reason I think I fell in love with it was because at the time I was suffering from my own mental health issues namely an eating disorder and some depression. As I got a little older the eating disorder got worse and I had to enter rehab. While in rehab we had intensive therapy both group and individual. This is where I realized that I liked the profession. However, I always wanted to be a veterinarian and I decided to go a different route and go to get my associates in vet tech. Fast forward a few years and I decided to go to school to work with horses which lead me to work with children with intellectual and learning disabilities. While I was in school to pursue equine studies I minored in psychology and again was in love with the subject. I loved everything about it but wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it until my professor told me I could be an equine therapist. I toyed with that idea a little bit and went back to the idea that I just wanted to be a regular therapist and focus on people with eating disorders. Throughout all of that, I was eventually diagnosed as bipolar which brought a whole new set of problems. This helped to solidify my desire to go into therapy. I wanted to work with others who experienced mental health issues. Another reason I had decided to do therapy is that my brother has anxiety and depression and I have tried to encourage him to see a therapist to no avail. I think that if I were to become a therapist it might change the stigma he has around seeing a therapist and encourage him to seek help other than just taking medicine which by itself isn't extremely helpful without therapy to go along with it. There are so many people in my life that could benefit from therapy and I have benefitted from therapy so I think that with my interest in the subject matter and my extensive experience with therapy and mental health has shown me that I really want to pursue a career in therapy. I think that all people can benefit from therapy no matter what they are going through. Helping people is something that I am passionate about and therapy is the avenue that I want to go down.

I have had a lot of experience with mental health in my 33 years of life both personally and within my family. I am bipolar which I got diagnosed with about 3 years ago and I had an eating disorder when I was younger about 20 years old. I also have a brother who suffers from anxiety and depression and all of my brothers have ADHD. My vast experience with mental health has influenced my beliefs by allowing me the capacity to see that everyone has struggles and most everyone struggles with mental health in some way, shape or form. I believe that mental health needs to be addressed and that anyone suffering can benefit from therapy or at the very least seeing a psychiatrist and getting meds in order. My own mental health has influenced my relationships by making me realize who my friends are and seeing that my family has my back no matter what. It can be hard especially when I tell people that I am bipolar for them to accept me but most people I realize are very understanding and accept me for me. I do have a hard time knowing who to disclose my mental disorder to so I don't let many people know about it especially since my medicine helps and it isn't obvious that I have a mental disorder. I believe that my personal experiences with mental health have greatly influenced my career aspirations. I would like to pursue a master is social work and become a LCSW so that I can become a therapist. This is an aspiration I have had for quite a while where I have been through therapy and worked with people who have either been through therapy or who could benefit from going to therapy. I believe that therapists are really important and that the work they do is extremely beneficial to those that seek it. I think that I would give a unique perspective to the field of therapy because I have been through it before so I would understand my clientel better. From having family members who suffer from mental illness and seeing how they would benefit from therapy but that the stigma around going keeps them from pursuing treatment. I want to be able to break the stigma of going to therapy so that more people would go and benefit from the important work that therapists and psychiatrists provide to people suffering.

I want to work with people with eating disorders because I had an eating disorder when I was younger and would love to help those with the same issues as I had. I have always had an interest in working with people with mental health issues. One of my brothers has anxiety and depression and I would also like to help people who suffer from mental health issues because I believe it is a very important field of study. I have bipolar disorder and was hospitalized a few years back and I think that it is very important to change the stigma behind getting help for mental health. When I was younger I took a psychology class for the first time and absolutely fell in love with the subject. I have gone through so many different things with my own mental health that I understood the subject and was looking for ways that studying it could help me. What I learned is that I really want to help others learn about their own mental health and how to better deal with their issues. I have taken many roads during my 33 years of life and they have lead me to where I am now studying psychology at EKU and being an americorps member at Hope's wings a domestic violence shelter in Richmond Ky. I went to Midway for a degree in equine studies and did an internship at Hooves of Hope where I was a side walker assisting children with disabilities both mental and physical learn how to work with horses and do riding therapy. This showed me that I didn't want to work with horses so much as I wanted to work with people and so I took my minor in psychology and decided to finish getting a bachelors in psychology. Everything I have been through from going to rehab for my eating disorder to going to Eastern State for a psychological episode related to my bipolar has all lead me to believe that pursuing a degree in mental health is what I need to do so that I can help people that have experienced similar challenges in their lives. Working with Americorps has shown me the importance of service work and I have worked with people of varying mental health issues and I have been able to navigate their problems in my job. I think that mental health is just as important as physical health and can be just as detrimental when there is a problem with it. So it is vital that people get the proper care for mental health and I would like to be one of those people that provides mental health services since I have been through it I know how difficult it can be to ask for help but I also know how good it is when you get the help you need.