Caitlin Riojas

The best career advice I received was from a professor who told us that maintaining your connections and networking is key, because you never know who's going to end up where. The more you maintain those connections, the better positioned you are in your career. Even now to this day, I'll tell people I don't know how to do everything, but I almost know someone who does. By being that kind of connector, you really put yourself in a more advantageous place for your career. I also received advice from one of my supervisors when I was going through clinical supervision about trying to find ways of joy through the work. I really try to look for those fun moments and those glimmers, especially because I'm working with kids and it can be a lot of hard stuff. Those moments help alleviate some of the heaviness of the work.

I think really just being authentic to yourself. So not changing your core values, while also being really mindful of networking and the relationships that you're building. A lot of things in this field are about referrals - it's like, oh hey, I might not be able to take this client, but I know someone who can. So I think it's about being genuine and authentic, while also not being afraid to put yourself out there and to advocate for yourself. I do think a lot of young women have a lot of imposter syndrome. So it's really just being confident of, like, hey, you have the skills and the talent, so put yourself out there, and as long as you're being true to yourself, you can do it.

Right now in the mental health landscape, we're really seeing what a lot of people are calling the technification of mental health, because everything is moving to AI and different mental health platforms. We're seeing a lot more of the tech industry and the business side coming into mental health. That is not typically an area where women have had a seat at the table - that is much more male-dominated. So I am curious to see and hopeful that women can still stay as leaders in mental health throughout this process. It's something I think we're very much in the midst of. With technology, there's always good sides and some downsides. Especially after COVID, we had the telehealth boom, which is great because it's giving a lot more access to a lot more people. People in rural areas who maybe only had one mental health provider now can see dozens. But there's always the potential that it could come at a cost. I think we're just kind of navigating what that looks like right now.

The values most important to me are advocacy, compassion, empathy, community, and collaboration. I think collaboration is just so crucial to the mental health field. A lot of times mental health workers are working with interdisciplinary teams, so often I'm working with doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, other social service workers. That collaboration is really crucial. I also think it's important to set boundaries and maintain them. A couple of years ago, I really tried to adapt the mindset that no is a full sentence. And I try to find ways of joy through the work. I really try to look for those fun moments, those glimmers, especially because I'm working with kids and it can be a lot of hard stuff. Those moments help alleviate some of the heaviness of the work.