Atypical & Awesome “11,000 Hours”

Today marks my 11 th year at my employer. For 11 years, I have served as a therapist for adolescents in a residential treatment facility. That comes out to roughly 11,000 clinical hours. I have learned so much from these kids- it has been a blessing in many ways and I have grown in ways I could have never imagined.

I’ve also seen mental health treatment change over the past 11 years. “Phone” therapy used to be considered taboo but now online therapy utilizing facetime and zoom has become one of the fastest growing areas of mental health treatment.

“Trauma” has become a trendy word but trauma informed treatment is the focus these days and I am excited about advances made in our societal recognition of trauma. Trauma CAN be healed. It takes work and often help but it can be resolved or at least greatly lessened. I am blessed to be in the trenches doing traima work personally and professionally.

I don’t take what I do lightly, I’ve invested my life into others. There was a time I went through life-threatening health issues. I’m still here and I’m still doing my thing so yes, I am proud. I’m working on a second Master’s at the age of 49 and am In the last leg of tjis graduate program. I do not know what my next path will entail but I am grateful for where I have gone and what I have been able to do leading up to this point. Well, time to get ready for work ;)