Kylie Smith

"Your now is not your forever." This quote from Turtles All The Way Down by John Green is an appreciable way to look at mental health. I've learned that mental health is not a linear experience; it has ups and downs and can regress if not nourished. Our mental health is not constant; different situations and events can detour it, but that isn't to say that we can't find tools to help us maintain it. These ideas play a significant role in my decision to pursue Counseling, which can be better described by explaining where my passion came from, which is an explanation of my history involving mental health.

While considering how it applies to my life, I dwell on past experiences that have proved: "Your now is not your forever." High school began what seemed like a forever struggle for me. What started as a tragic accident of my boyfriend passing away led to a friend's suicide and continued into finding out my parents were having affairs. All of which contributed to a belief I had at the time that life would never get better. Fortunately, I pursued help from a professional who gave me the necessary tools and guidance to help me maintain my well-being. Therapy allowed me to navigate everything that happened and showed me that experiences could only define my life if I let them. I learned that even though I can't stop unfortunate events from happening in the future, nor can I change the ones that occurred in the past, I can use these tools to assist in seeking a better life. Through my personal therapy experience, I discovered that what I was going through would not last forever and, more importantly, that my passion is Mental Health Counseling.

Although I have yet to gain much experience with research or internships, I was allowed to work with a mentor in the Mental Health Counseling field. Through this, I had a vital breakthrough in finding my passion when my mentor requested I use one of my experiences to help a younger client. The client and I had both suffered from losing a boyfriend in tragic accidents, and my mentor felt that since I had portrayed incredible growth when healing from my incident, it could help others. I was allowed to provide insight into how I could move forward from my experience and what steps I took to heal. Playing a part in her restoration gave me a fulfillment I had not felt from anything else. Knowing that I had a role in someone else's healing, even if it was just one person, was enough, and it felt even more worth it knowing that it was a child. This opportunity turned my passion toward helping people, specifically with children, adolescents, and couples.

When looking at Internship and Practicum sites, Bellevue Counseling stood out due to the insight and experience I could gain with Children and Couples. I also appreciated the undeniable positive regard and acceptance shown when I looked into the company and who worked there. Gaining experiences at Bellevue Counseling can assist in my goal of helping children, which will minimize the number of adults in the future who have mental health issues, as well as helping couples, which will reduce the number of children who need therapy. I possess the necessary passion to be successful as an intern. With the help of Bellevue Counseling and Daniel Artega, I will be able to learn all the tools I need to guide people into healing. I plan to one day convey to everyone I connect with that what they are going through now is not forever.