Her Story
About Desiree
I've been in the mental health field since 2014, working for the past two and a half years as a behavioral health consultant. In my role, I provide psychoeducation and supportive interventions for patients, mothers, and fathers, as well as crisis interventions for patients ranging from young ages to adults. I'm also on the panel for Youth Mental Health with Central Florida Behavioral Hospital and am an ADTC certified therapist. Before this, I worked at the Walt Disney World Company for 15 years, and I also spent time at Kissimmee Youth Academy, a Level 8 prison facility for young men. What inspired me to get into this field was my passion for wanting to help individuals and be that difference. A lot of times, not only are the parents unaware of the resources that they have available to them as it relates to their child's care and development, but also as parents themselves. So I just wanted to be that missing link in a lot of people's lives and be a positive aspect to the community. Working with young men at the youth academy, I wanted to find out why so many young men were getting in trouble and assist them in cutting back on recidivism by giving them skills and techniques so they wouldn't wind up in the system for their entire lives, providing resources not only for them but for the parents as well.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Desiree
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family, my values and my culture, and my higher power that I strongly believe in. These foundations have guided me throughout my career and personal life, giving me the strength and direction to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the individuals and families I serve.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to just reach for the stars. Don't give up. Follow your passion, follow your heart. This advice has stayed with me throughout my journey and has helped me stay committed to making a difference in the mental health field.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have to be patient, and be transparent, and know that the work we're doing, we're making a difference. Even if it's just reaching and meeting the expectations of one person a day, we're planting that seed for it to grow. It's important to understand that every small impact matters and contributes to the larger change we're working toward in mental health.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity in my field is being able to be an advocate for not only just youth, but for the parents and for our society, as well as for some of our patients, because there's a negative stigma as it relates to mental health, and I'm wanting to be able to change that. I want to let individuals know it's okay not to be okay, and it's okay to reach out and ask for help. A lot of times I tell my patients, if a person with cancer didn't go in for their chemo treatments, what would happen to them? If a person on dialysis didn't go in for the dialysis treatment, what would happen to them? I'm one of those individuals that would be able to give them and help them with skills and techniques as it relates to getting back on track. Whatever the case may be, it may be something environmental that they have no control over, and I help them by doing role play with them and just letting them know it's okay not to be okay all the time. It's okay to reach out and ask for those additional assistance that they need.
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 transparency, honesty, flexibility, and leadership. These values guide how I interact with my patients, their families, and the community, and they help me be the kind of advocate and support system that people need in their mental health journey.
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