I plan to use my degree in counseling to help victims of sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence. I can see myself working in an array of settings such as a counseling office, detention centers, Title IX offices, courthouses, hospitals, domestic abuse shelters, and military settings. The specific age range of clients I see myself working with is between 15 to 30. I think this age range is a period of time where most individuals find their identity. Experiences during this age range shape an individual. When individuals have a traumatizing event such as a sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence cases can cause setbacks in their development. I want to help decrease the effect these events can have on individuals.

As a survivor of sexual assault, I want to use my experiences and my healing journey to help others get through theirs. I want to be able to provide a trusted support system with personal experiences that can help clients feel more comfortable talking to me. Individuals who experience this type of trauma sometimes feel alone, scared, or that no one can understand what they are going through. I want to work towards changing that feeling and helping individuals on the road to recovery. I have seen and experienced how counseling can help victims move forward and work on treating the aftermath of trauma.

Victims of sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence experience disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, panic disorders, addiction-related disorders, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and other mental health-related disorders that affect their everyday lives. I want to focus on treating these disorders. I would like to use cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy. I think these therapies help victims overcome their traumas and live day to day without it affect them. 

I want to use my degree in counseling to be an advocate for victims and help them regain a sense of normalcy. Being a victim of sexual assault is one of the soul factors I want to become a counselor. I understand the pain and frustration that comes with being a survivor. I have also had many people in my life experience sexual assault and domestic violence. In addition, I have seen the sigma and ugliness other people have towards victims. I want to be part of the change and help survivors get to a place of confidence and strength. The hurt and shame that comes with being a survivor is immense and takes a large toll on individuals mentally, physically, and socially. My hope is to help individuals on each of these levels to help them get to a place where they feel safe and strong.