I have had two careers in my life. The first one was as an Educator. I worked at a military academy in St. Petersburg, FL for almost ten years. I taught English and History, lived in the dorms with the cadets, served as Editor of the Yearbook, and created the Office of College Placement. For most of my tenure, I was the director of that program as well as the Academic Dean for the Upper School. I helped put that school on the map academically.
During my time as Director of College Placement, I fell in love with counseling. What I did was academic in nature, but I much preferred that dynamic to the classroom. It’s an amazing feeling to know you’ve helped a kid get accepted to a competitive college. I knew that Education was not the best career choice for me, and that I needed to get my degree in Counseling.
I got divorced in 2009, which sucked. I had an opportunity to go to grad school in North Carolina, so I moved in 2011 and never looked back. I graduated with my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2014, but I started working in the field in 2012.
I specialize in the treatment of co-occurring disorders. I am trauma-informed with everything that I do. I have had great success using Motivational Interviewing and Twelve Step Facilitation in both individual and group settings. I primarily work with adults in recovery.
My career has afforded me a great deal of experience. I currently work at a psychiatric hospital. I’ve worked in drug treatment centers, as an in-home family therapist, and in private practice settings, too. My next move is to become a Clinical Supervisor, a goal I hope to achieve in the next six months.
I decided to publish Blunt Therapy because I also love writing and editing. I fumble my way through WordPress and SEO as well, which appeals to me in ways that counseling does not.
I’ve learned to value honesty and frank discussions about mental health. Therapy is an action verb which is often painful to experience. But that’s the nature of change. If you’re not challenged, you don’t grow.
