When talking about selflessness a person often thinks about donating money or their time or offering some material thing to another person. Currently working in the mental health field, selflessness can mean a lot of things and look many different ways. I teach my clients that setting boundaries with themselves and others is a way of showing selflessness to others. Boundaries are the distance that a person can love themselves and those around them. With being able to love ourselves and others in a healthy way, we can be there for others in a way that will help them and us. I am a huge animal lover and when I lost my dog last year, I started fostering for a local rescue. It fills me with immense joy to help animals find loving homes and to help people find pets that they can love. The rescue advertises the fostering process as free because they give the foster food, medicine, toys, and everything they need. I have often spent money to get food for them when I have run out (especially for the puppies) because the rescue doesn’t get a lot of money, they help so many animals, and I want to be selfless and help when I can. About a month or so ago, my grandmother was car jacked while she was leaving a restaurant with 2 of my cousins. About 2 weeks after he car was stolen, we found out from the police that it had been crashed and totaled. As a result, she needed to get a new car and was very short on money for it as she is disabled and works as a lunch lady at an elementary school part time. I wasn’t able to buy her a new car, but I was able to give her some money to help her get another car. She was able to get one and did doing very well now. I try to give back to the people when I can and by setting boundaries with myself and others. I feel that if I am pushing myself too much to help others then I will not be able to help myself and then I would be put in a position where I would have to figure out how to get myself back on track. Selflessness doesn’t mean that we are ignoring ourselves to help others, but that we are balancing ourselves with others.

I am currently working in the substance abuse field as a case manager. I have my certification as a substance abuse counselor in the state of Virginia and am working towards becoming a licensed professional counselor and a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. I am going to school for forensic psychology and plan to one day work in the jail setting to help those that are incarcerated with their substance use disorders and other mental health issues. I think that in our society, the incarceration rate for black and brown people is disproportionately higher than those of their white counter parts. This is especially true for those who have a substance use disorder and or other mental health disorders, and once they are released from prison or jail, they are usually sent back into the community with very little resources and so they go back to the life that they’ve always known. I want to help people who are incarcerated due to their mental health find the resources that they need on the outside so that they don’t reoffend and this scholarship will help me do that by allowing to further my education without financial stress so that I may focus on my studies. The recidivism rate for those with mental health disorders is extremely high and most of them just aren’t getting the care that they need simply because they don’t know where to go. When these people find the help that they need while they are incarcerated and then they are set up for success with aftercare services for after incarceration they have a much higher chance of succeeding. Also, Society very much looks down on people who struggle with these issues because many people look at these issues as a moral failing instead of what it is: a brain disease. Substance abuse is a brain disease with behavioral aspects that is very much treatable and many people can recover and thrive in life. I want to help more people see that they can make it.

My name is Destiny and I am a biracial woman. My mom is white and my dad is black and it was a struggle growing up to figure out which race I felt like I belonged to. Sometimes I didn’t feel like belonged with either. I grew up mostly with my mom as her and my dad separated. When my mom got remarried, my step dad was in the air force and he got stationed in Germany; it was amazing! My mom has always worked in the medical field as a nurse and so growing up that’s what I wanted to go too. Once I got to nursing school, I found out that I didn’t really like it all that much. I ended up failing out. That sucked tremendously, but it was probably one of the best things to happen because I ended up switching majors and finding my passion: counseling. I had always thought about therapy as a career because I liked to help people, but I just didn’t go into it until I didn’t really have a choice. I ended up graduating with a bachelors in psychology with an emphasis in addictions with a gpa of 3.8. I went on to get a graduate certificate in the same concentration with a gpa of 4.0. My career goal was to be a certified substance abuse counselor. I got that certification in 2022. I currently work at an outpatient substance abuse facility and it’s difficult, but very rewarding work. We get those days where we hear about a patient away from medical complications due to their use or of an overdose and those days make me wonder if what I’m doing is even helping. Then we get those days where we hear about a patient who has multiple years sober, completed drug court, or has a relationship with their kids again and I know I’m doing right. I plan to continue helping those suffering with substance abuse and mental health issues by getting a masters in forensic psychology with a licensure track so that I can become a licensed professional counselor and a licensed substance use treatment practitioner. I want to work with those who are incarcerated so that I can teach them skills to succeed outside of incarceration. Many people with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders often reoffend and have multiple stays in jails and/or prison. Working in my field, I have learned that many of my patients have spent half their life incarcerated. I want to be part of the solution to help build these people up for success. Having the resources available and knowing how to handle life without substances will help so many people from reoffending. I want to help people and make this world a better place and I may not be able to change the whole world, but I can change someone’s world.

As I was growing up, my mom was a nurse and that’s what I thought I wanted to do. While I was in high school, I went to a navigate to nursing program and I really liked it, but once I got out of high school and started college full time, I realized I didn’t really like nursing school. I ended up failing out and I wasn’t sure what to do. I had always thought about being a counselor because I like listening and helping others. While I was in nursing school, I received the GI Bill from my step dad and and dad which paired for a lot, but once I switched my major, I had to go to a different school and take out a loan to pay for it. I ended up taking out a private loan and was thankfully able to pay it off early in 2022. I am currently trying to get my degree in forensic psychology through the Chicago School with the licensure track so I can be a licensed professional counselor and a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. I work as a case manager at a non profit substance abuse treatment facility and I love it! I love working with those who have substance use issues and mental health issues because though I haven’t dealt with substance abuse personally, I have dealt with depression and anxiety. I want to help people suffering with their mental health so that they know that there are people that care in the world. I want to work in a jail or prison setting because most of the people I have worked with so far in my career have been incarcerated multiple times. The recidivism rate in the US is high because people just don’t get the resources they need on the outside; they get released from incarceration without a way to lead a successful life. They need things like after care for continued mental health and substance use treatment, housing, employment, medication management. I want to help people get connected with the things they don’t know so that the vicious cycle doesn’t continue. Once one person gets help, they can then continue that new cycle and pass along the resources to others. In getting and providing treatment, we are fostering empathy and compassion in the community. I learned from my mistakes and went with what felt right for me after I failed at one thing. I would offer to others in a similar situation to be honest with themselves about what they really want. There are so many resources out there; I would encourage others to ask for help. We don’t really fail, until we stop trying.

My goal with getting my forensic psychology degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with a substance use disorder and other mental health issues then that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter. I currently work at a nonprofit substance abuse facility who has recently opened a program in the juvenile detention center. While I didn’t get that position when I applied for it, I hope that one day this company can open a program in an adult detention center. With my licenses, I’ll be more equipped to get that position and be able to help people as they transition to the outpatient facility, hopefully sober living, and to employment. With this scholarship, I can help to make the world a better place.

My goal with getting my forensic psychology degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with substance use disorders and other mental health issues then that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter. I currently work at a nonprofit substance abuse facility who has recently opened a program in the juvenile detention center. While I didn’t get that position when I applied for it, I hope that one day this company can open a program in an adult detention center. With my licenses, I’ll be more equipped to get that position and be able to help people as they transition to the outpatient facility, hopefully sober living, and to employment. With this scholarship, I can help to make the world a better place. My personal experience with mental health issues has pushed me to want to let people know that they aren’t alone and there is support out there. I have dealt with depression and anxiety which can make a person feel alone, even when they are in a crowded room. I don’t want people to go through that alone and this profession is so understaffed. I want to be more educated to help more people with my skills that I have and new ones I will learn.

My goal with getting my forensic psychology degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with substance use disorder and other mental health issues than that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter. I currently work at a nonprofit substance abuse facility who has recently opened a program in the juvenile detention center. While I didn’t get that position when I applied for it, I hope that one day this company can open a program in an adult detention center. With my licenses, I’ll be more equipped to get that position and be able to help people as they transition to the outpatient facility, hopefully sober living, and to employment. With this scholarship, I can help to make the world a better place.

I have struggled with depression since I was about 18 and as I sought treatment it got better. When I was a little older, I noticed that my anxiety increased a lot and I started treatment for that and it has helped a lot. My experience with mental health has made me more compassionate to those experiencing mental health issue and has helped me to see that I won’t want others to suffer as I have. I want to help people manage their issues, become independent, and self sufficient. I have been working in substance use since 2018 and I absolutely love it! I think my own mental health issues have helped me to have passion for my career and I want to help people manage their relationships through their issues. My relationships definitely decreased with my mental health issues as I was irritable, grumpy, anxious, and really sad. My mom tried to help me, but I didn’t really know what was wrong so she suggested I talk to my doctor about it and she was right. I thank my mom for a lot of things; she helped me become a successful adult with my depression and anxiety managed. Not everyone has a mom to help them though, so I chose this career, not to be someone’s mom, but to do for them what my mom did for me. I want to show people that even though society focuses a lot on the negatives, there are positives out there, there are bright spots, you just have to be willing to find them. With my skills as a mental health professional and continuing my education, I can expand my reach to help more people. I want to work in a jail setting with those who have suffered from substance abuse and other mental issues. Those who end up in jail or prison due to their mental health will often reoffend many times because they simply don’t have the resources or the support on the outside to be successful in society. My goal is to help them build their resources and networks in society so that they do not constantly reoffend, end up incarcerated, get out to their old life, and then end up back in jail. I currently work with those suffering from substance use disorder and co-occurring disorders and I love it! I love what I do and helping people recover from their demons, trauma, and help them to see that they are worthy. We often tell people that addiction is a family disease so I can also help them to repair relationships with their loved ones so that they can have healthy relationships like I have with my mom. Mental health issues have been running rampant in our society and sometimes we don’t like to talk about it because it can bring people down. However, these are real issues, they can be dealt with, and we need to acknowledge when we’re struggling so that the people we love and who love us can help us. I want to show my patients that there is a bright spot and things can get better.

My goal with getting my forensic psychology degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with substance use disorder and other mental health issues than that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter.

I have two parents that were in the Air Force, my dad and my stepdad. With my parents being in the military, I got to experience a lot of really cool things that most kids don’t get to experience. When I was 11, we moved to Germany and spent 2 1/2 years there. It was a really great time in my life because I got to learn about the new culture and I was also able to go to Disneyland in Paris, which will be a memory that I don’t think I will ever forget. it was really difficult when my stepdad and my dad would get deployed because they missed some really important things in my life such as birthdays and my dad even missed my high school graduation. Even though they missed some stuff I’m really grateful for the experiences and the benefits that their career has brought me My goal with getting my forensic psychology degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with substance use disorder and other mental health issues than that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter.

I am going to school for forensic psychology that is a licensure track. Once I complete this program, I will be able to become a licensed professional counselor and then become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. I want to work in the prison setting with those who have suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues as those people often struggle with reoffending. I want to help these people work through their issues, regain their faith in people, and become self sufficient and independent. I want to help the legal system work the way it’s supposed to and help people be rehabilitated. My goal with getting this degree is to become a licensed professional counselor and through getting that license, I can also become a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner. With these licenses, I can reach more people and I can be better equipped to help the people that I can reach. Other career goals that I have is to help change the legal system so that it can be more rehabilitative instead of punishing. If we can focus on rehabilitating those that can be rehabilitated such as people with substance use disorder and other mental health issues than that will allow them to build a life for themselves a successful and independent. With success and independence, they will be less likely to reoffend and end up back in jail or prison and perpetuating that vicious cycle. Most people who get out of jail don’t know what resources they can use. They are just let out and then they go back to their old ways and I want to help prevent that. A degree in forensic psychology that leads to licensure can help people learn skills, such as distress tolerance, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and healthy coping skills. These are all important skills for people to learn, and to know to be able to navigate through our society that tends to be focused on negativity. A counselor‘s job is to be able to give somebody who doesn’t have these skills these skills so that they can go out into life and be successful. I’ll also be able to give them rest resources for housing and outpatient mental health services to set them up for a success. With my compassion and drive this degree will help me to make this world a better place even if I can’t reach the entire world at least be able to make my little pocket just a little bit better and brighter.

I started experiencing anxiety and depression when I was about 18 years old and it didn’t get really bad but it got bad enough that my mom got concerned and she got scared. She really pushed me to get help and I eventually talk to my doctor about it and I got treatment and things got better. My mom is a nurse and when I was young, I always thought that I would be a nurse as well but when I went to nursing school, I really just decided that it wasn’t for me so when failed out I decided that I was going to really put effort into doing what I had always thought about, but just never really thought that I could do which was helping people with their mental health. Having mental health issues myself, I think actually made me more compassionate and more empathetic to those who suffer from mental illnesses. I currently work with the addiction population and I talk to them a lot about involving their family in their treatment because it’s important because their family cares about them. I want them to feel like they can repair that relationship and have the support that they need from those who are supposed to be supportive of you just like I had the support from my mom. I want to continue my education by getting my forensic psychology degree and becoming a licensed professional counselor so I can help people in a bigger capacity. Right now I am kind of at the max in my career that I can be without furthering my education. With my education, I want to become a licensed professional counselor and then eventually become a licensed substance abuse, treatment practitioner And help people that are in the prison system that are suffering from substance abuse and other mental health illnesses. Many people with mental health, illnesses, and substance abuse are often offenders and they often reoffend at a very high rate simply because they just don’t have or know about the resources that they can use to keep them safe, sane, and sober and society often look down on them and think that they’re bad or unworthy and that’s just simply not the case. These people need someone that believes in them and give them opportunities. Show them how to be a functioning person that can manage their life and give them the hope that they can do that. I have learned through my mental health struggles and the support of my family how to be successful and I want to be that support for others and show them that they can rely on their families; the world isn’t all dark and these people need a flashlight.

I struggled with my mental health as a young adult and I think it made me more compassionate to those who also suffer because I know the feeling and I don’t want people to suffer. I am able to jump into action when my patients have expressed depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation. My thoughts go to thinking about how I can help them feel less alone in this world that feels so out to get us. The society we live in focuses a lot on negativity so I want to show people that there are positives to this; there is a reason to stay, to heal, and to want to get better. When I was in my worst place, it made my relationships decline, but I noticed that the people who cared were always there and they didn’t give up on me, they just wanted to help me get better. I know that I can’t be there in every aspect of my patient’s life, but I can be a bright spot that can remind them that there are other bright spots. The world isn’t always out to get us and we have to do our best to find the people that will help us, treat us well, and be there when we need them.