My path in mental health began when I was 17, working as an emergency room technician in a busy hospital. I continued in that role for several summers, where I witnessed people of all ages in acute mental health crises. I was moved by the opportunity to offer them comfort during frightening moments and often wondered what happened to them after they left to pursue care with specialists. This curiosity, combined with a deepening interest in the human mind, led me to pursue an associate degree in psychology while initially working toward a nursing degree. I was fascinated by the science behind thoughts, emotions, behavior, suffering, and wellness—not only for the patients I’d cared for, but for myself. Later, I became the social services coordinator for a long-term care facility. I conducted MDSS assessments, provided mental health support, offered dementia and PTSD care—especially for elderly veterans—and coordinated palliative care and discharge planning. During this time, I chose to complete my bachelor’s degree in social work rather than continue with nursing. In my BSW program, I focused much of my work on the lived experiences of adopted youth and adults, their first families and siblings, as well as on aging, end-of-life care, and the intersection of severe mental illness, PTSD, and dementia. I also completed internships in hospice and bereavement services and in community-based case management. While completing my BSW and MSS, I authored or contributed to over a dozen books on adoption and related topics, including a contribution to a social work textbook on human sexuality. After earning my BSW, I entered the Advanced Standing MSS program at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College, with a clinical focus. My goal was to build deep clinical knowledge and skill, especially in post-adoption support, to help address gaps in care—such as adoptee suicide, relational difficulties, identity confusion, and the emotional strain adoptees may experience in romantic relationships, parenting, and navigating loyalty and longing in both adoptive and first family relationships. During this time, I interned with one of the oldest post-adoption support units in the country, focusing on placement stability in both post-adoptive and pre-adoptive contexts. I went on to work as a behavior specialist consultant and mobile therapist for several years. I conducted functional behavior assessments for children with Autism and mental health conditions, developed treatment plans, and provided therapy in homes, schools, and community settings to reduce risk of hospitalization, school expulsion, or placement disruption. I worked closely with parents and school staff to build inclusive environments that felt safe and supportive for neurodivergent and trauma-affected youth, including those in foster care and adoption. Eventually, I began working in community mental health, providing therapy within a psychiatry clinic and collaborating with psychiatrists to support clients through therapy and medication management. This setting gave me significant experience with clients navigating trauma, attachment wounds, and complex identities rooted in adoption and foster care. I also worked with individuals with rare and severe conditions, including psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, factitious disorders, and criminal or antisocial behavior. Through this work, I refined my diagnostic skills and learned to navigate the nuanced interplay between co-occurring conditions in clinically complex cases. Alongside providing therapy—and during a short period away from direct practice—I taught psychology, sociology, and social work at several local universities over a span of six years. Teaching allowed me to deepen my own knowledge while engaging with sharp, inquisitive students who challenged me to think in new ways. I later pursued and earned certifications in thanatology and trauma, grounded in my years of work with adoption, relational grief, and complex trauma. I specialized in providing therapy for grief and trauma before founding Therapy Center for Transformative Growth (TCTG). I built TCTG not only to deliver high-quality care rooted in my expertise and values, but to serve as a teaching clinic for the next generation of clinicians dedicated to doing the same.