After completing my BA, I realized that I really wanted to teach. So, I completed subsequent coursework to obtain my teacher certification. I have yet to realize my goal as a teacher, although I have come to realize that I teach others in many different ways. I taught my clients as a caseworker, the foster parents that I licensed, and the children that I served. After my husbands death, I looked for ways to continue working with youth but in a different way. That is when I started utilizing my skills as a therapist. After a few years, a position became available working as a school social worker, and so I then utilized my skills in social work and counseling with students. It has been a rewarding transition, and I have spent more than eight years working in the school setting not only as a school social worker but as a school counselor as well. In my spare time, I love to be with my grandchildren who range in age from 1-25. About three years ago, I started a new hobby - showing horses. My husband and I like to camp and trail ride, too. I love to read, garden, and spend as much time outdoors as possible! My ideal client could be a young person who is struggling with how to remain focused in school or how to deal with anxiety in all areas of life. Sometimes, my clients don’t really know what they need or want, but often they want to be a better student, not get into trouble, or become a more self-actualized person through building self-esteem and self-advocacy. At first, I listen to what my clients tell me through their words, actions, and body language. I often reach out to parents and teachers, with the client’s consent, to gain insight into the client’s issue(s). Having been one of the kids who could have really used a counselor in school, I identify with my students’ needs. I try to see the emotions underlying the behavior as well as the need at the root of the emotion. Then, I work with the student to help build their capacity to tell their own story, learn how to express emotions in healthy ways, and exceed their own expectations. The goal is to let my clients move at their pace and tell me what their goals are, but if I were to have goals for them, my goals would be for each to know that they are worthy and that they can be and do far more than they think.