more about my clinical experience…

I completed my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Chapman University. During my time there, I began seeing clients for the first time at our on-site community clinic. At The Frances Smith Center, I tried to gain as much diverse experience as possible to better understand what types of people I felt I connected with. I saw a wide range of individuals, teens, couples and families with diverse needs from grief to thoughts of self-harm. Before going into my training, I knew I wanted to be a therapist for teens. I sought out an additional site to begin my 3,000 hour journey (yes, for real!) to becoming a therapist where I could get more clinical experience with teenagers. I began working for another community clinic, Turning Point Center for Families, which contracted with Orange County schools. I was placed at both a high school and middle school where I solidified my passion for working with teens which motivated me to expand my skill set in order to best connect and guide them through healing.

Once I graduated, I was looking to serve the most ostracized people in our community and push myself to gain the best (or you could say most challenging) experiences. I began working with Orange County Health Care Agency’s Outreach and Engagement program focused on connecting street homeless individuals with resources and mental health care. Through this experience, I pushed myself to meet people where they were at (both physically and emotionally). My team and I would drive throughout Orange County trying to connect with this vulnerable population, understand what they needed, and build a trusting relationship so we could meet those needs.

After this experience, I wanted to get back to working with teens but continue challenging my clinical skills. I began working for a large non-profit, Waymakers, working as part of a field-based wraparound team who served probational youth. As I worked with my clients, I saw the intersectionality of their trauma: personal, communal, and systemic. Building a trusting relationship with someone who is court ordered to see you, doesn’t trust service providers, lives in constant hypervigilance in their community, and has (almost) never had an adult in their life who had the capacity to care for them is more than difficult. This job taught me that although many people may trust me as a ~therapist~, the people who need my support the most are going to be skeptical and sometimes suspicious. These kids reminded me how trust is built over time and that sometimes as a therapist you don’t always get to see the change but are someone who watered the seed.

I then received a promotion into another program at Waymakers, supervising wraparound teams and directing client’s clinical care. This program focuses on supporting court involved youth who have either been in foster care, have a dual diagnosis of mental health and substance use, have been extremely truant from school, or are a victim of human trafficking. I was excited for the growth in my career but grieving due to the transition away from one-on-one therapy. Now instead of being the person who plants or waters the seeds for change, I get to support my staff in their ability to create change for many more clients.

Thus, the creation of Guided Minds: a space I’ve created to continue my love for therapy while pursuing my passion for community mental health and supporting other mental health providers in their journey. Connection is at the core of all of us, and sometimes we need guidance navigating our past experiences to grow into our most connected self.

To my past clients, I’m so grateful to have been a part of this journey with you. Whether that having been a seed planted, watering, or full bloom.