My experience with mental health has been long and strenuous. At a young age, my mother suffered from Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder. Due to this, she looked to substances to alleviate the pain she was feeling. Being the eldest child, I endured the brunt of the neglect and abuse my mother would subject me to throughout my childhood. Because I was so parentified at a young age, I made it my life’s goal to protect and provide for my two younger siblings. For years I ensured the children were up at the proper time for school in the morning, dressed by the time we had to leave, and were properly fed. My mother would sleep and sleep because of prescription medications she would take, so I would fight with her every morning to get her up to drive the three of us to school. I was even left to get my father ready. I ironed his clothes, made his coffee, and ensured he had the things he needed for work by the door. I was the mother my household needed as young as 8 years old. After years of enduring abuse and neglect, my father finally left my mother after we had experienced a few too many traumatic experiences. Not without financially setting her up with free housing, two cars, etc. All which were blown on addictive substances. I spent my teenage years angry at the world unconsciously. I hated myself, my family, and the things I experienced while in my mother’s care. I lived like that for 8 years throughout high-school and my bachelor’s degree. When I finally saw a counselor/psychologist, my life changed for the better. I was diagnosed with complex-ptsd because of the abuse, neglect, and trauma I had endured during my formative years. A year later, I have graduated from college, spent a year working to save enough money to begin my graduate degree, and am set to enter school again in the Spring of 2025. My life’s goal is to help people like my mom and I. It has been almost 10 years since I have had any connection with my mother. While I wish I could have “saved” her, that is never a child’s job. I may not have been able to help her, but I can help others who have experienced the things we both had in our childhoods. I will be getting my degree in clinical psychology to ensure I can make a difference in mental health care for individuals who need it. Lastly, through volunteering with the unhoused youth in my community, I have found a passion for working with people in desperate need. I want to work to fight the bidirectional causal effects of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. I hope to offer probono services to those in need as I work in the field because I know how difficult finding and financially supporting mental health services can be. I owe my life to the mental health professionals I have worked with and will be that person for my patients in the future.