Hi!
I'm Ren and it's so nice to meet you here! You might be wondering who the heck I am to be offering advice to others. Valid question! My talents and expertise have been developed over a lifetime of personal, educational, and professional experiences. Please allow me to explain.
Since I was a young child I've had a strong need for justice. I was passionate about human rights and helping others. I stood up to bullies and protected those around me. I always wanted to help youth as I knew too well what it was like to be labeled and treated as a "bad kid". I knew only of adults that were either incapable or unwilling to do the right thing and protect children. It was the 90's, I was a mentally ill abused child but I still had hope and I was certain there was a better way. I knew deep down that I could find that better way.
In my young naive mind I believed the way to help was through criminal justice. At 18 I left for college and studied community crime prevention at Western Oregon University. There I met one of the most influential people of my life, professor Teresa Carlo. She was from the East Coast and shouted a lot. I loved her passion and took every class I could. I'll never forget her catch phrase: "By the time a crime has been committed you're already too late" she would shout while slamming the end of the chalk on the board, further emphasizing the point. What she meant was we needed to be more proactive rather than reactive. We need to get to root causes of issues. We need to meet the needs of the people if we want safer and healthier communities. We need to have healthy youth if we want a future. This led me to develop my professional style as "person centered" before it was coined as such. It also drew me away from the justice system and into social work.
I started working with youth at 19. I continued working directly with people for the past 20 years. I loved all the different experiences and trainings that came with each new position and read everything I could get my hands on. I have worked with all ages and in various settings. I have worked with all types of people facing all types of challenges. From developmental delays to mental health to severe trauma. From psych wards to in home care and even a prison. I've learned valuable lessons from everyone I've had the pleasure of working with and am grateful for the bonds that continue to this day.
I myself am a late-in-life-diagnosed nuerodivergent mix of natural ability and specialized knowledge. My ADHD and Autism have helped me amass a wealth of knowledge and gives me an uncanny ability to connect with people on a deep level. My own complex PTSD has helped me understand why people do the things they do- and be able to help others identify and work through root causes, breaking toxic patterns. My severe depression and anxiety taught me that you never know the depths of what other's are truly going through- and that it was my calling to help others through dark times.
I've dedicated my life to learning, healing, and growing for this moment. The moment I get to combine all that specialized knowledge, all that intense life experience, and all those natural gifts to help YOU. Just as all humans are unique- so are your experiences and needs. This is why I offer PERSONALIZED support for whatever life stage you're at.
I'm so glad you are here and I can't wait to see what great things are ahead for you! Are you ready?