Her Story
About Rebecca
I graduated with my master's degree in 2019 and went straight to work, so I've been in my field for about 6 to 7 years now. I've been with my current private practice for about 3 and a half years, where I work as a licensed professional counselor. I just got my supervisor status about 3 months ago, so I'm kind of new to the supervisor portion of it. Before I became a therapist, I took the path of just going step by step - starting with my associates, then my bachelor's, then my master's. I've been in customer service roles my whole life since I was 16. I landed in a position for a few years as the office manager for a foster care organization doing foster care and reunification with foster families. In that role, I got to see a lot of social work and counseling happening every day, but I felt like I was on the outside looking in - I was doing more of the logistics, and I really wanted to take part in that. There was a director there who really inspired me to consider therapy. After that, I worked for the Missouri Eye Bank as a family services coordinator, where I would talk to families right after their loved ones had passed to gather medical data for skin, tissue, and organ donation. These were just hours after their loved ones had passed - some were prepared and some were not, like car accidents. I really loved being able to be in a role where I got to be with somebody in their most vulnerable time and offer some comfort. I would always ask them to share a memory of their loved one if they felt comfortable, and often our phone calls would come late at night because I worked night shift. I think it was kind of a beautiful thing to just be there with somebody during those moments, and that solidified for me that I did really want to do counseling. Now in my current practice, I set my own schedule and kind of get to decide what I do for the most part. I work primarily with about 50-50 adult individuals and kids - I do think I have a knack for kids more than adults sometimes. I also work with families and do couple therapy. I'm just kind of here for whoever needs me in whatever way that they need me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rebecca
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think just trust the process, because school can be so overwhelming. Many of us are single moms or are raising families. Some of us go back to school pretty late in life - I didn't get my master's degree until I was in my very early 30s. Just trust the process and know that you can do it. Just take it a step at a time, don't put a bunch of stress or pressure on yourself, just take it a step at a time and trust the process.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think access to mental health is huge. It is oftentimes very difficult to find, whether your insurance company covers, or whether you even have access - especially people in very rural areas, getting access to mental health is very difficult, whether it's monetary based or location-based. Luckily, we're having a lot of success with telehealth right now, but I still think that there's a major barrier there. And then I think, obviously, we're still dealing with the stigma too, right? The stigma around asking for help, and so I think that that's a big crux as well. It is getting better, but we still have a ways to go.
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