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I live in Portland, OR with my boyfriend and our dog. I grew up in the area but was born on the east coast. I have significant ties and family in both areas of the U.S. In my time outside of work and school I like to spend time with my boyfriend and our dog doing things inside and outside. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family as well. I have a lot of family on the east coast so I like to travel there. It is where my older siblings and mom live. I like to exercise when I have the time and watch movies and TV. I also enjoy going out and trying new restaurants and fun things to do. Being in the Pacific Northwest I love that I live within an hour of the beach and the mountains. Two of my favorite places to go. I love to ski and spend time at the beach based on the season. My favorite time of year is fall or spring but in Oregon we get a lot of rain.

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My interest in counseling comes from the passion to help others. I come from a family of medical professionals and have always wanted to help others in that way. Due to life and interests I determined that the medical field was not my best fit but found my fit in counseling/psychology. It fit with my passion to help others and helping them to be the most successful human being they can be. I have focused on children because as they are developing so much change and such an impact can happen. I think that all students are capable with the right supports inside and outside of school. I wanted to be able to help them figure out the supports and be the best they can be as learners and humans.

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I have career experience working with adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. I have also worked with students of all ages doing counseling in my internship. In my first job I worked with middle school and high school students. I now focus on elementary aged students.

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I started my educational career at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. I pursued my Bachelors in Psychology. After completing that I thought determined that I wanted to get my Masters in Mental Health Counseling and went to Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR.

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My professional intentions and goals have changed over time. When I started graduate school my goal was to become a school based therapist in a high school. I did end up doing this and got a job as a Youth and Family Therapist right after graduation. I did that job for a year and determined that I was more interested in being a school counselor as I felt that I was more drawn to that work and wanted to be able to be more involved with a student's academic and personal success. I felt that in my job as a school based therapist I was restricted in certain ways. I also have no interest in running a private practice therefore it seemed that professional growth for me would come from school counseling. I applied to many different school counseling jobs. In Oregon, there is a shortage of school counselors so they will sometimes give counselors emergency licenses while they are getting the additional requirements.

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After applying for various school counseling positions I was offered my current job as a school counselor for a K-5 Charter school, that also has a middle school setting. Initially I did not have interest in working with elementary aged students and was drawn to high school, but now that I am here I don't see myself going back. I love where I work, the different freedoms that I get, and the students that I get to work with are amazing.