Lots of people don't want you to have an emotional or mental disorder. Not because they don’t want you to be in pain, it’s because they don’t want to deal with your pain. It's easier to deny that someone you love is struggling because you don’t have to shoulder any responsibility that you may feel if they did have anxiety or depression. It’s easier for people for the others in their lives to be perfect, whole, healthy. Your mother denies that you're in pain or that you hate yourself so she doesn't have to feel at fault. You're told to just get over it, put on a smile, or just decide to feel happy instead. You cannot wish away a disorder, smelling oils or keeping a colorful stone in your pocket doesn't make the worry go away. Ever since starting my own psychotherapy at 11 years old, I knew that being a therapist was what I wanted to do. This was further solidified for me when I met Evelyn while working my first year as a camp counselor. It had been a few weeks since her parents’ divorce and about eight years since mine. I understood the difficulty she was having dealing with the back and forth transitions and the attempts to mediate adult problems that were far too complex for her to understand. Helping her acclimate to the change by using my own experience was the most gratifying thing I have ever experienced. Her resilience and emotional growth were inspiring to me, and I realized that helping was my passion. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial, supportive relationship to those in need. I’ve experienced a lot of difficulties in my life; but with that, I have a lot of experience with trauma and pain to draw on when entering a helping role that others my age may not have. I’ve always been an empathic person, which is of course a strength in a helping relationship but I sometimes take on too much of other people's pain to the point where it has a negative impact on me. I am learning to balance my empathy and desire to help others with my own boundaries of caring for myself.I’ve always been deeply passionate about destigmatizing mental health services and ensuring access to everyone, regardless of race, gender, SES, sexuality, ability or religion. I will start my unpaid traineeship at Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) schools. PUC is a nonprofit charter school organization that works to uplift underserved communities in the Los Angeles area, and provides clinical counseling services for all of their schools. I will be a therapist at one of their elementary schools using art therapy, cinema therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy. I know at some point I would like to have a private practice, and because I care deeply about increasing access to mental health care for all communities, I plan on having a sliding scale fee and to engage in pro bono work throughout my career. I recognize that therapy is inherently political. I'm interested in engaging in advocacy for the field, from having MFT’s covered by Medicare to increasing opportunities for low income or minority students to enter the profession. Therapists need to be able to recognize their social location, and the power dynamics that may exist with different clients. I am deeply committed to doing all of these things, and helping to inspire my peers in the field to do the same.

Lots of people don't want you to have an emotional or mental disorder. Not because they don’t want you to be in pain, it’s because they don’t want to deal with your pain. It's easier to deny that someone you love is struggling because you don’t have to shoulder any responsibility that you may feel if they did have anxiety or depression. It’s easier for people for the others in their lives to be perfect, whole, healthy. Your mother denies that you're in pain or that you hate yourself so she doesn't have to feel at fault. You're told to just get over it, put on a smile, or just decide to feel happy instead. You cannot wish away a disorder, smelling oils or keeping a colorful stone in your pocket doesn't make the worry go away. Ever since starting my own psychotherapy at 11 years old, I knew that being a therapist was what I wanted to do. This was further solidified for me when I met Evelyn while working my first year as a camp counselor. It had been a few weeks since her parents’ divorce and about eight years since mine. I understood the difficulty she was having dealing with the back and forth transitions and the attempts to mediate adult problems that were far too complex for her to understand. Helping her acclimate to the change by using my own experience was the most gratifying thing I have ever experienced. Her resilience and emotional growth were inspiring to me, and I realized that helping was my passion. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial, supportive relationship to those in need. I’ve experienced a lot of difficulties in my life; but with that, I have a lot of experience with trauma and pain to draw on when entering a helping role that others my age may not have. I’ve always been an empathic person, which is of course a strength in a helping relationship but I sometimes take on too much of other people's pain to the point where it has a negative impact on me. I am learning to balance my empathy and desire to help others with my own boundaries of caring for myself.I’ve always been deeply passionate about destigmatizing mental health services and ensuring access to everyone, regardless of race, gender, SES, sexuality, ability or religion. I will start my unpaid traineeship at Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) schools. PUC is a nonprofit charter school organization that works to uplift underserved communities in the Los Angeles area, and provides clinical counseling services for all of their schools. I will be a therapist at one of their elementary schools using art therapy, cinema therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy. I know at some point I would like to have a private practice, and because I care deeply about increasing access to mental health care for all communities, I plan on having a sliding scale fee and to engage in pro bono work throughout my career. I recognize that therapy is inherently political. I'm interested in engaging in advocacy for the field, from having MFT’s covered by Medicare to increasing opportunities for low income or minority students to enter the profession. Therapists need to be able to recognize their social location, and the power dynamics that may exist with different clients. I am deeply committed to doing all of these things, and helping to inspire my peers in the field to do the same.

I’ve wanted to be a therapist since 6th grade. I had recently started seeing one to help process my parents separation and the ongoing strife it caused. That relationship was a huge asset for me, and already I knew that I wanted to be able to make that same difference in someone else’s life. I’ve been told by many people throughout the years that being a therapist is the perfect job for me. Friends come to me for advice, comfort and support. I’ve been told I’m a good listener and people have told me things they say they’ve never been comfortable enough to share with anyone else. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial helping relationship to those in need. I want to be able to make a difference in the world and I feel this is the best way to be able to achieve that goal. I’ve always had a passion for working with kids, as shown through the extensive work I’ve done in different positions. I’d love to be able to work with children and adolescents individually in order to help them tackle any mental health issues they may be experiencing. My experience as a research assistant in the Social Cognitive Development lab has shown me just how malleable children’s brains are. I believe receiving therapy can be crucial for some children during these critical stages to help them become healthy, functioning adults. Having a therapist throughout my childhood and adolescence gave me the tools I needed to navigate an anxiety-filled world. This relationship was vital for me, and I want to be able to have that same impact on other children.

Early intervention is one of the most helpful ways to manage mental health issues by providing support and skills. Elementary school is a vital time for intervention because of the incredible amount of brain and social development that happens between the ages five and 11. I strongly believe that starting as early as possible giving kids resources will have significant positive effects as they continue to develop. Understanding and naming their feelings, expressing them appropriately, learning emotional regulation skills, interpersonal skills and a safe adult to help them navigate any difficulties they may be having are so important in growing well adjusted adults. As a therapy recipient myself starting in fifth grade, I know from personal experience just how powerful these skills and the therapeutic relationship can be for young people. I know that the history of psychology and therapy has roots in white supremacy, misogyny and was often unaccepting of other cultural practices. As a therapist I want to recognize the reality of this history, how it may deter many people from coming to therapy in the first place, and help to create a new climate of inclusion and justice in the field. Therapists need to be able to recognize their social location, and the power dynamics that may exist with different clients. I want to be able to talk with clients directly about the impacts of racism, colorism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, disability, xenophobia, politics, climate change and capitalism (and others) and how they influence a client’s life experience and their mental health. All people are worthy of mental health care, it should be accessible in all forms and be culturally sensitive with the client as the expert of their own lived experience.

People don't want you to have an emotional or mental disorder. Not because they don’t want you to be in pain, it’s because they don’t want to deal with your pain. It's easier to deny that someone you love is struggling because you don’t have to shoulder any responsibility that you may feel if they did have anxiety or depression. It’s easier for people for the others in their lives to be perfect, whole, healthy. Your mother denies that you're in pain or that you hate yourself so she doesn't have to feel at fault. You're told to just get over it, put on a smile, or just decide to feel happy instead. You cannot wish away a disorder, smelling oils or keeping a colorful stone in your pocket doesn't make the worry go away. I’ve wanted to be a therapist since 6th grade. I had recently started seeing one to help process my parents separation and the ongoing strife it caused. That relationship was a huge asset for me, and already I knew that I wanted to be able to make that same difference in someone else’s life. I’ve been told by many people throughout the years that being a therapist is the perfect job for me. Friends come to me for advice, comfort and support. I’ve been told I’m a good listener and people have told me things they say they’ve never been comfortable enough to share with anyone else. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial helping relationship to those in need. I want to be able to make a difference in the world and I feel this is the best way to be able to achieve that goal. Something I learned early on in my life is that relationships don’t always work out the way you want them to. Having my parents divorce at an early age and continuing to antagonize each other into my adult life, I understand that relationships take work, and that people are flawed. This has led me to avoid putting other people on a pedestal but also being more understanding of when people make mistakes or do hurtful things. The most important part of being human, to me, is constantly working on yourself to become a better person, for your own benefit as well as the benefit of the people in your life. My dad has always presented therapy as a valid and healthy option for someone needing help. I never felt much of society’s stigma about therapy because I knew that my dad went and I started going from an early age. Because of this, I’ve always encouraged friends and family to seek therapeutic help. I believe that everyone should go to therapy at some point in their life because it’s not just for those with “really bad issues,” there’s always something to be gained by talking about a problem with a neutral third party, no matter how small. I’ve also never been ashamed or embarrassed to tell people that I’ve been to, or am currently seeing a therapist. All of my educational and professional experiences throughout high school and college have been in pursuit of this goal of becoming a therapist. Starting my Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy program has only further solidified my love and desire to be a part of this field. I want to be able to talk with clients directly about the impacts of racism, colorism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, disability, xenophobia, politics, climate change and capitalism (and others) and how they influence a client’s life experience and their mental health. All people are worthy of mental health care, it should be accessible in all forms and be culturally sensitive with the client as the expert of their own lived experience. My goals for the future are therefore less focused on my own career trajectory, which populations I might work with and where, but more so about creating a sense of safety and equality during session for all of my clients and helping to move the profession forward towards a more just and equitable future.

I will be doing my unpaid traineeship at Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) schools to start accumulating the 3,000 supervised hours required for licensure as an MFT. According to the ACLU, there are 1.7 million students who attend schools that have police but no mental health counselors, and 14 million attending schools with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social worker (https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/cops-and-no-counselors). Even someone like myself who came from a privileged background, we had maybe two psychologists for over 1,000 students at my high school, with incredibly long wait times to get an appointment. Mental health has an enormous impact on children’s wellbeing and school success, and having access to these services should be universal, regardless of a family’s income or location. For students in underserved communities, rates of trauma are significantly higher and can have lasting impacts on their educational achievement, future careers, and overall well being. PUC has three main commitments, to “increase the college graduation rate by 5 times in the communities we serve; Students will be proficient after 4 years in PUC; Students commit to uplift our communities now and forever” (https://www.pucschools.org/about/). At PUC I will be working with elementary students using art therapy, cinema therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy. Elementary school is a vital time for intervention because of the incredible amount of brain and social development that happens between the ages five and 11. I strongly believe that starting as early as possible giving kids resources will have significant positive effects as they continue to develop. Understanding and naming their feelings, expressing them appropriately, learning emotional regulation skills, interpersonal skills and a safe adult to help them navigate any difficulties they may be having are so important in growing well adjusted adults. As a therapy recipient myself starting in fifth grade, I know from personal experience just how powerful these skills and the therapeutic relationship can be for young people.

I’ve cultivated my own self-understanding through my years of therapy and through my meditation practice. Being in therapy allowed me to learn how to recognize my feelings and connect them to past experiences. Realizing why I had certain emotions or behaviors made me more conscious of myself as a person, as well as being able to redirect my energy when certain feelings were not serving me. My meditation practice, which I started to cultivate during the pandemic, has also helped increase my self-awareness. I can more quickly and easily sense when I’m becoming distressed, and begin to self-soothe with what I need in that moment. Being able to observe subtle changes in my own behaviors or expressions has helped me hone in on similar changes in others. Apps like Calm, Headspace or even youtube videos are great starting resources.

I am a Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate student. I recognize that therapy is inherently political. I'm interested in engaging in advocacy for the field, from having MFT’s covered by Medicare to increasing opportunities for low income or minority students to enter the profession. I know that the history of psychology and therapy has roots in white supremacy, misogyny and was often unaccepting of other cultural practices. Decolonizing therapy requires therapists to deeply assess their own biases and privileges, see each client with an open mind and heart, and be willing to be a lifelong learner. Therapists need to be able to recognize their social location, and the power dynamics that may exist with different clients. I am deeply committed to doing all of these things, and helping to inspire my peers in the field to do the same. I want to be able to talk with clients directly about the impacts of racism, colorism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, disability, xenophobia, politics, climate change and capitalism (and others) and how they influence a client’s life experience and their mental health. All people are worthy of mental health care, it should be accessible in all forms and be culturally sensitive with the client as the expert of their own lived experience. My goals for the future are therefore less focused on my own career trajectory, which populations I might work with and where, but more so about creating a sense of safety and equality during session for all of my clients and helping to move the profession forward towards a more just and equitable future.

Ever since starting my own psychotherapy at 11 years old, I knew that being a therapist was what I wanted to do. I’ve always been deeply passionate about destigmatizing mental health services and ensuring access to everyone, regardless of race, gender, SES, sexuality, ability or religion. I earned my Bachelor's degree from UCSB in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology in three years (2018-2021). During my time there I worked as an exam proctor for the Disabled Students Program (DSP) ensuring students who needed testing accommodations and additional resources were given what they needed in order to succeed. I was also hired as a Mental Health Peer (MHP) through the Counseling and Psychological Services department, where I hosted interactive workshops around topics such as, managing stress and anxiety, good study habits, implementing self care, and being a woman in STEM fields, among others. I was accepted into California State University Northridge (CSUN) for their Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy program. I started my MFT work in Fall of 2021 and have not only earned a 4.0 GPA but also consistently positive feedback from my professors. Within the next month (June 2022) I will start my unpaid traineeship at Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) schools. PUC is a nonprofit charter school organization that works to uplift underserved communities in the Los Angeles area, and provides clinical counseling services for all of their schools. I will be a therapist at one of their elementary schools using art therapy, cinema therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy.

I knew I wanted to be a therapist when I met Evelyn while working my first year as a camp counselor. It had been a few weeks since her parents’ divorce and about eight years since mine. I understood the difficulty she was having dealing with the back and forth transitions and the attempts to mediate adult problems that were far too complex for her to understand. Helping her acclimate to the change by using my own experience was the most gratifying thing I have ever experienced. Her resilience and emotional growth were inspiring to me, and I realized that helping was my passion. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial, supportive relationship to those in need. I’ve experienced a lot of difficulties in my life; but with that, I have a lot of experience with trauma and pain to draw on when entering a helping role that others my age may not have. I’ve always been an empathic person, which is of course a strength in a helping relationship but I sometimes take on too much of other people's pain to the point where it has a negative impact on me. I am learning to balance my empathy and desire to help others with my own boundaries of caring for myself.

I’ve cultivated my own self-understanding through my years of therapy and through my meditation practice. Being in therapy allowed me to learn how to recognize my feelings and connect them to past experiences. Realizing why I had certain emotions or behaviors made me more conscious of myself as a person, as well as being able to redirect my energy when certain feelings were not serving me. My meditation practice, which I started to cultivate during the pandemic, has also helped increase my self-awareness. I can more quickly and easily sense when I’m becoming distressed, and begin to self-soothe with what I need in that moment. Being able to observe subtle changes in my own behaviors or expressions has helped me hone in on similar changes in others. Now I am more acutely aware of how others are feeling based on their emotional and physical presentation, which will be an important asset in my work as a counselor. I also try to engage in other hobbies that I find restful like yoga, art (painting and drawing) or reading books. I find the more often I incorporate these things into my routine, the better I feel and the more I am able to continue these self care practices.

Lots of people don't want you to have an emotional or mental disorder. Not because they don’t want you to be in pain, it’s because they don’t want to deal with your pain. It's easier to deny that someone you love is struggling because you don’t have to shoulder any responsibility that you may feel if they did have anxiety or depression. It’s easier for people for the others in their lives to be perfect, whole, healthy. Your mother denies that you're in pain or that you hate yourself so she doesn't have to feel at fault. You're told to just get over it, put on a smile, or just decide to feel happy instead. You cannot wish away a disorder, smelling oils or keeping a colorful stone in your pocket doesn't make the worry go away. I am someone who is caring, I almost always put the needs of others ahead of my own, some times admittedly to my own detriment. I am thoughtful, I always try to think about other people’s perspectives and feelings before responding to them. I am resilient, I have encountered difficult situations and I have faced them and come out the other side even stronger than before. I am a hard worker, I always push myself to do my best even throughout the most difficult times. It’s within those difficult times that I strive to do even better than I would have if circumstances were easier. Something I learned early on in my life is that relationships don’t always work out the way you want them to. Having my parents divorce at an early age and continue to antagonize each other into my adult life, I understand that relationships take work, and that people are flawed. This has lead me to avoid putting other people on a pedestal but also being more understanding of when people make mistakes or do hurtful things. The most important part of being human, to me, is constantly working on yourself to become a better person, for your own benefit as well as the benefit of the people in your life. My dad has always presented therapy, as a valid and healthy option for someone needing help. I never felt much of society’s stigma about therapy because I knew that my dad went and I started going from an early age. Because of this, I’ve always encouraged friends and family to seek therapeutic help. I believe that everyone should go to therapy at some point in their life because it’s not just for those with “really bad issues,” there’s always something to be gained by talking about a problem with a neutral third party, no matter how small. I’ve also never been ashamed or embarrassed to tell people that I’ve been to, or am currently seeing a therapist. I’ve wanted to be a therapist since 6th grade. I had recently started seeing one to help process my parents separation and the ongoing strife it caused. That relationship was a huge asset for me, and already I knew that I wanted to be able to make that same difference in someone else’s life. I’ve been told by many people throughout the years that being a therapist is the perfect job for me. Friends come to me for advice, comfort and support. I’ve been told I’m a good listener and people have told me things they say they’ve never been comfortable enough to share with anyone else. It has been my goal to be able to help as many people as possible by providing a beneficial helping relationship to those in need. I want to be able to make a difference in the world and I feel this is the best way to be able to achieve that goal.

Ever since starting my own psychotherapy at 11 years old, I knew that being a therapist was what I wanted to do. I’ve always been deeply passionate about destigmatizing mental health services and ensuring access to everyone, regardless of race, gender, SES, sexuality, ability or religion. In undergrad, I was hired as a Mental Health Peer (MHP) through the Counseling and Psychological Services department, where I hosted interactive workshops around topics such as, managing stress and anxiety, good study habits, implementing self care, and being a woman in STEM fields, among others. As an MHP I also facilitated the School Anxiety Program (SAP), which included three hour-long sessions over the span of three weeks in which I worked one on one with a student. I was trained in cognitive behavioral therapy which I then helped teach to the students I worked with, focusing on things like general psychoeducation, the ABC model, recognizing unhelpful or problematic thinking patterns, untwisting those patterns and replacing them with more helpful ones. Other topics included, self care and relaxation techniques, time management and procrastination, and imposter syndrome. Through the SAP I was able to work with a diverse array of students across a variety of majors, starting from first time freshman undergraduates to sixth year PhD students, low income students, as well as students with various racial and gender identities. Having the opportunity to work one on one with students over the course of a few weeks and being able to build a relationship was such a special opportunity to experience a taste of being a therapist before being licensed. Seeing the incredible growth of all of the students even within a short time frame was so heartwarming and validated to me that I am capable of making a difference. Every student I worked with gave such positive feedback about the program itself and me as a facilitator. The next step in my journey in my graduate work is to start my training as a therapist at a local elementary school. I will be working with students using art therapy, cinema therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy. Elementary school is a vital time for intervention because of the incredible amount of brain and social development that happens between the ages five and 11. Understanding and naming their feelings, expressing them appropriately, learning emotional regulation skills, interpersonal skills and a safe adult to help them navigate any difficulties they may be having are so important in growing well adjusted adults. As a therapy recipient myself starting in fifth grade, I know from personal experience just how powerful these skills and the therapeutic relationship can be for young people. I know at some point I would like to have a private practice, and because I care deeply about increasing access to mental health care for all communities, I plan on having a sliding scale fee and to engage in pro bono work throughout my career. I recognize that therapy is inherently political. I'm interested in engaging in advocacy for the field, from having MFT’s covered by Medicare to increasing opportunities for low income or minority students to enter the profession. Decolonizing therapy requires therapists to deeply assess their own biases and privileges, see each client with an open mind and heart, and be willing to be a lifelong learner. Therapists need to be able to recognize their social location, and the power dynamics that may exist with different clients. I am deeply committed to doing all of these things, and helping to inspire my peers in the field to do the same.