My time at New Hope Christian College profoundly shaped me in many ways on my journey to become a Clinical Mental Health Therapist. I learned how to foster relationships with God, others, and myself; think critically about what the Bible says versus what the world says; and how to handle conflict, trials, and strife with grace, maturity, and humility. I felt drawn to a career in the mental health field since I was a Junior in high school and was attracted to New Hope for their Christian Counseling concentration. Through this program I learned what this field entails, different beliefs or approaches to such a broad profession, and how to reconcile the brokenness of humanity with the broken people I see in front of me.

After earning my degree from New Hope in 2020, I continued my education at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon pursuing my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This program taught me more in depth about this beautiful and complex field, how to walk along people in their journey toward healing, and how to reconcile my faith in a primarily secular field. I was encouraged by classmates and professors with different outlooks and perspectives who all served the same God and had the same passions to help others. My time at New Hope stretched and strengthened me, while my time at Western Seminary is where I began to see the fruits of my labor. I was given more practical skills to use in counseling sessions; had professors walk alongside me, teaching me what being a mental health therapist means; and filled with confidence as I began to walk in the calling God had set before me many years before.

Currently I am working at Linn County Behavioral Health’s Child Outpatient Center, working with ages 11-18 from all walks of life as they process through various struggles such as Anxiety, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, various traumas, and so much more. Throughout my educational journey, God has been so good to me, and I am overwhelmed by His goodness, grace, and abundant blessings. The biggest lesson I have learned in this journey is that God is faithful, and He delivers on His promises when we commit to the calling He has placed in front of us.