Her Story
About Denielle
I've always enjoyed helping people since childhood and have always had such a big heart. I've always seen the good in people, which I am ensuring that I don't lose sight of throughout this career. I started my bachelor's in elementary education and special education, but it actually took me an additional year because I switched majors halfway through. I was a nanny to two girls, one had autism spectrum disorder, and that is when I had such a strong desire to learn more about psychology, which led me to switch to psychology. Throughout school, I was very naive that everyone wanted help and everyone wanted to see the root to their behaviors and work on themselves. My internship at the prison quickly gave me a reality check and changed my perspective, which was much needed to ensure my safety and to reduce burnout in this field. I graduated with my master's in forensic psychology in December 2021. I began working at Mountain Springs Recovery, an inpatient substance abuse treatment center, in 2022 as a primary therapist, then moved up to clinical supervisor overseeing our newly developed mental health inpatient facility. I left there in October 2025 and started my current position as a military and family life counselor in December 2025, where I support military families, specifically working with children ages 4 to 12, helping with emotional regulation during deployment and reintegration. I am currently pursuing my doctorate in clinical psychology through Capella University, which I expect to complete in 2030.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Denielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to self-motivation and determination. These qualities are what have gotten me through all the years of school, and which have gotten me through continuously reaching leadership roles in previous jobs.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was: don't put in more work than your client. Because if a client is resistant to see their root, or dig deep into their problem, then they're not ready to put the work in. Still working with resistant clients is healthy, it's challenging, but it is rewarding because you know that you can plant that seed in their mind, that one day when they're ready, they will acknowledge. This advice came from my supervisor Paul at Mountain Springs Recovery, who was in his 80s and had so much knowledge and experience. We had the same passion of working with incarcerated individuals, and we definitely shared experiences and trauma over that.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
In this profession, you can do private practice, you can do inpatient, outpatient, there are so many opportunities for us, which is incredible, and it opens so many doors. So regardless of where you work, always put yourself first. Like they say on the airplane, if the masks come down, you put the mask on yourself before your child, because if you don't, then your kid may not get the mask, or the best help that they can. And so in this field, if you do not put yourself first, then burnout increases, vicarious trauma increases, and your duration throughout this field will be very challenging.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are maintaining a work-life balance in this field, which is beyond vital. Without it, the hurdles with burnout in your personal life and professional life are severe consequences. A work-life balance is so important, because oftentimes, as therapists, we get so invested in our clients. And you build that therapeutic alliance, which is healthy and you need, but when you start taking over your client's emotions, or there's that vicarious trauma that you start feeling from all the stories you hear, you have to be able to separate that and leave it at work. And when you come home, not carry that and those heavy emotions into your family.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are patience, empathy, and honesty.
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