As a counselor, I have always been passionate about empowering individuals to grow beyond setbacks. Early in my career, I began working with the most vulnerable populations, including troubled youth, in rehabilitation and community integration programs. I assisted youth in finding their voice, developing their strengths, and discovering their true potential. I’ve always loved helping kids and teens who felt misunderstood through multiple modalities ranging from play therapy to Trauma intervention.
I started my education with a bachelor’s in Marriage and Family Studies, which allowed me to learn about family systems and important relational and human development dynamics. Shortly after, I earned my Master’s Degree in Social Work, where I learned a broad systems approach to intervention and clinical mental health counseling. Choosing this path gave me diverse skills to help people in many facets of life. In addition to my education, I’ve always been passionate about educating and empowering my community and colleagues wherever I can, however I can. In the past and present, I have served on my local suicide prevention coalitions, provided professional development at regional conferences, and spoken to others inside and outside the field about mental health and personal growth.
At Waterford, I have the privilege of working with youth in a different context while still understanding their vulnerability and potential for maturing and learning. The call to come to Waterford came unexpectedly while I was working as a counselor in a Juvenile inpatient substance abuse facility in Idaho. I had not planned to leave my former job initially. But, I was invited to apply for the position through Linkedin and jumped at the opportunity. Waterford’s rigorous interview process was the first sign that it would be a great place. Waterford leadership takes the time and care to ensure each new addition is a good fit. Additionally, Waterford cares about creating a workplace where joy can flourish, and employees can feel as empowered at work and in their daily lives as possible.
Transitioning from community and clinical work to Waterford has been an exciting journey to a grounded and purposeful work environment. When I first came to Waterford, it took some time to adjust to a multidisciplinary system and understand everyone’s roles and responsibilities and how interdependently we work. At Waterford, colleagues value collaboration and communication as well as wellness. These values in the Waterford community have led to the development of the Student Wellness Center and have created the groundwork for supporting positive student mental health outcomes. Waterford promotes professional development by setting the foreground for this collaboration, providing leadership and training opportunities, and allowing me to utilize my clinical skills to implement positive interventions for students needing support. Collaboration in my role focuses on creating programming to support social and emotional needs, problem-solving student challenges, supporting teachers in adjusting to different types of learners, and working on a team to support student safety. A typical day for me may involve writing a learning plan, meeting with a parent, seeing students who drop in with varying concerns, collaborating with colleagues, or visiting our wellness classes or other classes to observe students.
Working with youth in this context differs from my previous experience because it requires providing support, teaching skills, and guidance rather than complete transformation most of the time. Working in this way gives me a bird’s eye view of collective student needs while focusing on individual needs. Focusing on my sole responsibility and developing as a professional has been powerful.
As the Waterford Middle School counselor, I empower young learners in their journey. Empowering Students involves me being available to provide one-on-one support when a child is nervous about their first soccer match of the year, when a middle schooler is anxious about a big test, or how to make things right after a miscommunication with their mom. My role is to guide middle school students in learning the life skills they need to thrive as a student and as a person. As the middle school counselor, I often partner with parents to ease the transition from child to teen. Parents and I often discuss how to help their children be more organized, manage challenging behaviors that are showing up at home, and know when their child is at risk or is just having some everyday bumps in development. The best part of my job is having the opportunity just to be there when someone truly needs it. Another part of my work involves visiting and observing classes when students face learning difficulties to see what support we can offer them. I assist in creating learning plans that help students learn skills, access essential resources, and overcome any obstacle in their learning journey. Lastly, it might involve meeting with deans, parents, and teachers to determine the best way to support a child as a team. As a counselor, I take a holistic developmental approach that considers the whole person- not just what we see at school to build scaffolding for a student to gain independence socially, emotionally, and academically and have a greater chance at future academic and personal success.
Working at Waterford is an opportunity to work in a unique environment, not only because of the gorgeous green campus and snow-capped mountain views from our office windows but also because Waterford is a place where competence, care, and curiosity are central to our work. As the Middle School Counselor, I appreciate the intricacies of supporting students through their formative years, whether it’s assisting them in overcoming academic hurdles, navigating social challenges, or simply being a source of guidance during times of uncertainty. Moreover, the collaborative spirit among colleagues and the school’s commitment to education have made working at Waterford a fulfilling experience.