Kyllie Jenkins

I want to thank my parents. They are no longer with me, but they have always given me the opportunity and a choice to become who I wanted to be, whether that was working full-time, going to the military, or going to college. They've always been my support system and helped me through trials and tribulations. My motivation to keep moving is being a single parent, taking care of two kids by myself while in school. My kids have also encouraged me tremendously because they encouraged me to go back to school after 20-something years. I graduated with my master's degree at age 44 in December of the same year my daughter graduated with her master's, so we both graduated in the same year. My son now has a doctorate, and my daughter has her master's in social work, so we're continuing to help people out. That's rewarding to me, and my spiritual beliefs have always been there. I believe that there is always a higher power that is always protecting me.

The best career advice I ever received is that you can't save them all, but if you just save one, that's a win. I had to learn that lesson when it comes to my mental health, substance abuse, and gambling counseling work with our clients. If I can save one, that's a win for me. I'm not gonna be able to save everybody, and I had to accept that. I used to try to save the world, but I learned that if I can have maybe one or two people come back and say, Ms. Kelly, I'm still clean and sober, then I'm okay. I'm okay with that. I'm okay with taking the one or two versus not having any.

Don't give up, even when there are difficult times, there are difficult clients, and there are difficult situations that you may be faced with. Don't give up, because if you continue to push, then the person that you're trying to help, or the person that is in front of you looking for help, they're gonna receive it, because they're gonna know that you're genuine, they're gonna know that you are there for them. I tell my clients all the time, because if it was about the money, I wouldn't be here. So it has to be a person with a genuine heart. I encourage more people to go and just read upon the dangers, read upon the stigmas, read upon the treatment that you can receive for any mental health, or substance use, or for gambling treatment. Read up on all the resources that are available and just keep pushing forward.

The biggest challenge I face is that we have all of this gambling treatment available for free in Louisiana, whether inpatient or outpatient, but not enough people are taking advantage of it. I have people come to me all the time with problems saying they want help, but then some come back, some won't. I'm always in fear when I look at the news or my news app because I might see one of my clients, and I've encountered thousands of clients over the years. It's a fear of mine that I would see one of my clients on the news, and I've had my share of that. I want to be able to offer more, which is why I'm looking into going into trauma counseling to help people that are going through trauma. A lot of the things we deal with and are faced with are personal. My biggest thing is that I'm okay with saving maybe one or two people who can come back and say, Ms. Kelly, I'm still clean and sober, rather than not having any.

My spiritual beliefs are most important to me. I was raised going to the same church for the last 44 years, since I was age 6, and I'm 50 now. I've had the same pastor for all those years, and she's 80. My spiritual beliefs ground me, and I believe that there is always a higher power that is always protecting me. The other value that's most important is family support. My parents were there for me in my difficult times, even if it was just to keep the kids while I worked 2 and 3 jobs. I know that I have sacrificed a lot for my family, for my children, but that's most rewarding for me, because now my son has a doctorate, and my daughter has her master's in social work. We're continuing to help people out, and that's rewarding to me. My children have been my biggest supporters, and they're the ones that keep me grounded and rooted, continuing to encourage me.