旅行疗法
托马斯Becnel于2023年3月1日发布
After a year-long internship and six months at her first job, counseling foster children for Health Connect America, 伊丽莎白南部 feels confident enough to start doing 用她自己的方式做事.
Instead of dressing more formally, because she’s just 24 years old, she tries to keep 东西随便.
“I don’t want kids to see me as an authority figure,” said 南ern, who earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of 南 阿拉巴马州. “我试着让他们知道我站在他们这边. 我在那里为他们辩护 需要.”
Instead of remaining aloof, she doesn’t mind sharing stories from her own life.
“In school, they teach you not to self-disclose, but I probably do more than most,” 十大彩票平台官网. “这有助于我与他们建立融洽的关系.”
Instead of sitting down for formal interviews, 南ern takes walks, plays games or 和孩子们一起听音乐. 她想让每周的课程更轻松 压力更小.
“很多孩子不喜欢心理治疗，”索瑟恩说. “我不想让他们觉得， 天啊，我今天下午一点有心理治疗.m.’”
At Health Connect, all of her clients are foster children. 他们的年龄从 5 to 19. They live from 移动 to Grand Bay, or all the way out to Atmore, 阿拉巴马州.
南ern has an office in West 移动, but spends most of her time traveling to home 访问.
“没关系，”她说. “我的工作时间很灵活，这很好. 但这是一个很大的磨损 撕我的车.”
On drives around 移动, 南ern listens to music or a Christian business podcast 被称为“幸运+老板”.”
在南方呆了六年
南ern grew up in Birmingham, where her mother was a teacher. 她有一个姐姐 还有一个弟弟.
“Being a middle child, I’ve always been the mediator,” she said. “这很自然。.”
萨瑟恩一直对研究心理学很感兴趣. 从加登代尔毕业后 高中时，她选择去十大彩票网投平台.
“没有深刻的含义，”她笑着说. “我只想离得远一点，不要离开 阿拉巴马州. 我经常去海滩. 我得去新奥尔良， 狂欢节之类的. In Birmingham, I had a choir teacher from 移动, and she gave 我们的珠子，但我从来没有亲眼见过狂欢节.”
在南, 南ern lived on campus for all four of her undergraduate years. 她喜欢 studying at the Marx Library and exercising at the Student Recreation Center. 她 joined the Psychology Club and founded a campus chapter of the National Alliance on 精神疾病.
“When people hear mental illness, they think, oh, no, but I want people to be able 谈谈这件事，”她说. “我专注于打破这种耻辱.”
During college, she was a teaching assistant at Woody’s Song, an autism school, and 自愿接听自杀热线电话. 都提供了宝贵的经验.
南ern belongs to the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and remains close friends with 她的“一线姐妹”同时加入. 他们喜欢在莫比尔见面吃早午餐. 她 has a side business in makeup and fashion, posting “Just Liz” videos on TikTok 和YouTube.
“这在十大彩票网投平台是件大事，”她说. “我遇到了很多人，他们做了很多不同的事情 的事情. 一个非常多元化的群体.”
活泼有趣
During graduate school, 南ern went to class, did an internship and worked part-time. Now she works just one job, with the rest of her time to herself.
“我不习惯，”她说. “这是令人耳目一新.”
After graduation, 南ern thought about moving to Dallas, but decided to stay in 移动. 她 accepted a position at Health Connect, where she was an intern.
她 often works with children who have been abused or neglected.
“It’s tough, sometimes, to see what they’ve gone through,” she said, “but that’s why 我是来帮助他们的.”
Many of her favorite clients are middle-school students and young teen-agers.
“I have found that I enjoy working with children 11 to 15,” she said. “他们在 an age where they can share their emotions, but don’t have the vocabulary to express 所以我可以帮助他们. 我们的会议更有成效. 我觉得 这是一个非常关键的年龄.”
南ern works with foster parents as well as foster children. 她告诉他们 每个孩子都不一样. Some require different parenting strategies, or a change 从做事的方式来看.
“You’ve got to meet me halfway,” is one of her sayings.
As she gains experience, southern is becoming more comfortable in her role as counselor 和提倡. 她’s always been confident in her ability to relate and communicate 与年轻人.
“All my life, I’ve been working with children,” 十大彩票平台官网. “我天生爱玩 和动画. 孩子们喜欢这样.”