My social work career began in June 1998 working with The Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services, until January 2015. While I was fortunate to be working in such a diverse environment with some amazing colleagues and peers, I remained frustrated that regardless of how “high” I went up (position-wise) the job always entailed navigating bureaucratic red tape and non-negotiable policies. It seemed that very few interventions I had with clients were positive in their lives or the lives of others. I was painfully aware that most people do not fare well when managed from a “one-size fits all” approach to healing and rebuilding themselves and their lives. I often disagreed with the policies families felt trapped under – yet I was charged to enforce and uphold. For me, the end to this means was to take my social work career in a very different direction – a clinical direction.

Beginning in February 2015 I took a leap of faith and decided to pursue a clinical approach to my social work career. It was at this point that I left DFCS and began working in a substance abuse (MAT) recovery clinic, for the following 3 years. This was a clinical setting which allowed me to go forward from my having my LMSW to earning my LCSW and CAADC credentials. Through this clinical work experience, I grew even more dedicated to my passion to help those with issues ranging from isolated mental health problems to more complex co-occurring disorders which entailed substance abuse and addictions.