Hello

Mental health concerns have affected members of my family, and growing up around those experiences left me with questions about why certain patterns develop and how they continue across generations. However, the stigma surrounding mental health and the misinformation I encountered initially discouraged my curiosity. Mental health was often misunderstood, judged, or left unspoken, which made it difficult to ask questions or seek a deeper understanding. For a time, that silence stopped me from exploring what I was noticing—until it did not. Eventually, my need to understand became stronger than the fear and stigma surrounding the topic. I began learning about the connections among mental health, relationships, coping, and trauma, not only for my own growth, but also so I could make intentional choices about what I carried forward. My desire to become a counselor grew from wanting to understand myself and my family with greater compassion while learning how to interrupt harmful patterns rather than pass unresolved trauma to the next generation.

This personal journey taught me that healing begins with curiosity, honesty, and the willingness to examine experiences that may be difficult to name. It also showed me that understanding the past does not mean being defined by it. My lived experience helps me more deeply understand the importance of meeting the populations I choose to work with where they are, rather than expecting them to follow a path that I define. As a counselor, I want to help clients explore their stories safely, recognize the strengths that helped them survive, and develop new ways of relating to themselves and others. I remain mindful that every client’s story is different and that I am not there to rescue, direct, or make choices for them. My role is to walk alongside clients as a steady source of support, listen without assumption, make space for differences, and honor each person’s autonomy in deciding what healing and change mean for them.