I arrived at counseling psychology by way of creative writing and teaching.

My fictional characters were motherless daughters, angry fathers, and lost folks trying to figure out where they belonged. It was only when a mentor pointed out these similarities that it struck me: my characters were versions of me and my family.

Writing allowed me the distance I needed to begin to process the challenges of my upbringing. Yet it was teaching that opened my eyes to the suffering of others. Each of my students and their families lived with pain - a pain not unlike my own but also uniquely theirs. What was remarkable was that my students, like me, shared an instinct to share their stories whether in writing or through conversation. During office hours, I often found myself listening to tales of interpersonal struggles, of panic attacks, and of not being good enough. I had no answers, but I could sense a relief in their bodies. At the very least, they now had a witness.

There were other reasons that led me here, including my own (continued) work with therapists whose guidance helped me see myself and others more clearly and compassionately. Yet perhaps the biggest reason I am here is my belief that life is, indeed, a long learning. It is learning who I am at this moment and learning how to accept that I may not be this tomorrow. It is learning how to live in this tension of contradictions - and still enjoy (for the most part) being alive. Therapy helps me learn better, and perhaps it may do the same for you.