Hi, A Home Within! I started volunteering a couple of years ago because a dear friend of mine, also a therapist, said, “I've been volunteering at A Home Within, and it's been meaningful.” And I thought, ‘you know, I don't have community service as part of my mental health practice, and I really want to. This might be a really good way to connect with folks that want a forever therapist and might not have a chance to afford that otherwise.’ I also have a lot of experience with youth homelessness and so working with young people impacted by foster care, or experienced homelessness, or the Juvenile Justice System are really meaningful to me. So I've been here for a couple of years. I've been seeing one client through A Home Within and it's been a really beautiful experience.

The relationship with A Home Within that has impacted me the most is with the individual that I'm fortunate to work with. We have, for years, seen each other every other week and recently started moving towards weekly sessions. And experiencing our relationship, the ability to work in their life and to be a supportive presence, is incredibly impactful. It's humbling to have somebody choose to see you knowing that they have other options for therapists, of course. But to be paired with somebody through A Home Within and then experience that relationship deepened over time is very humbling and is the most meaningful part of working here.

A hope or vision that I have for A Home Within that comes to me right away, is I would love for every therapist working absolutely in private practice across the United States to know that part of that work is giving back to people impacted by foster care, and impacted by a variety of childhood experiences. And I would love A Home Within to be the go-to there. That, ’boy, you don't start a private practice without thinking about how you can give back’. And again, the first place you turn to is A Home Within – because of the power of those pairings, the power of the referrals, the professional, and kind, and relevant nature of the support that you get through continuing education here through home within, and really the reliability, the constancy, the professionalism, and the care of A Home Within, for all of the people paired with therapists. So I think it should be the gold standard across the country.

A Home Within is an incredible place to volunteer. You will be matched with somebody in need of mental health care. That match is thoughtful, it is caring, takes into account the client's needs, what you have to offer, and they will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your match is going well and make changes where needed. So, what a wonderful way to volunteer. They make it easy for you and it is an incredibly impactful way to give back.