In
my first career, I was a registered nurse (RN) working at
a level-one trauma center. I had the typical plans that some
RNs have, which consisted of going to graduate school in
nursing and then one day being a critical care nurse educator.
All these plans changed for me based on an experience I had
with a burn patient that I was assigned to take care of during
my first year as a nurse. This patient was about my age at
the time and she was involved in a plane crash that left
her with severe burns to her face, arms, and legs. As a typical
young new nurse, I was still learning to find a smooth patient
care routine. I was 21 years old at the time so I still had
friends away at college. While they were still living the
typical college student life, I was taking care of patients
that had injuries I had only seen in textbooks and in the
movies. So it wasn't uncommon that I felt overwhelmed by
the responsibilities as a RN. As I was leaving my nursing
shift one day, I was standing at the door of this one patient's
room and asked her if she needed anything before I left.
She was crying in the dark and said to me that it didn't
matter what anyone could do. I put my book bag down, pulled-up
a chair beside her bed and asked her why she was crying.
She then proceeded to tell me that her boyfriend was coming
to see her and she cried-out how ugly she felt because of
her burns to her face. She was sobbing to the point that
I had a hard time understanding her talk. I didn't know what
to say. I didn't know what to do for her. This was my first
patient I ever talked with that was depressed. I felt useless.
As her nurse, I knew how to address her physical care needs
but I felt so incapable of emotionally providing her comfort.
What I did know how to do at the time was to be kind and
present for her. That day, I stayed after work an extra four
hours on my own time and I helped this patient wash her hair
and I took the to the hospital gift shop to buy some make-up.
I stayed with her until her boyfriend showed up. She talked
to me about feeling afraid and abandoned by her peers that
are now afraid to look at her. The feeling I had at that
moment changed the path of my career within a week. I changed
my graduate school major to psychology and requested a transfer
to work as a nurse on an eating disorder unit.
That is what as brought me to this point in my career. I
am a licensed professional counselor and completed my doctorate
degree in counseling from the College of William and Mary.
I have been actively working in the clinical mental health
field since 1987 and have been teaching psychology and counseling
since 1991. I have almost two decades of clinical experience
working with culturally and clinically diverse populations,
ranging from the underserved chronically mentally ill to
the impaired professional. At Regent, I now have the opportunity
to prepare Christian counselor educators and supervisors
to be leaders in their profession that change the world.
I know the talents and gifts that I share with my students
and clients center around living a genuine and congruent
life. As a Christian, I know I have placed on this path so
that I can continue to share His words of kindness and hope
to people in distress and to teach students how to become
leaders in counselor education and supervision.
I am blessed to have the love and care of my husband
and our three children. We believe in showing our kids
the world. Thus far, we have taken our kids to Jamaica ,
where they climbed a 1000 ft. waterfall. The Cayman Islands
, where they swam with wild string rays. We have been to
Australia, where they climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, watched
the sun set from the steps of the Sydney Opera House, jumped
around with kangaroos, got chased by an Emu, and touched
koala bears. Our 2006 summer plans let them experience
of the culture of Belize, Costa Maya, Cancun, and Cozumel.
I thank God every day for the life he has given us. |
