My name is Hayley, and I have always been passionate about kids and looked forward to being a parent. I also enjoy researching the “best” approaches and products to help make my life easier. I love sharing these ideas with my friends, family, and clients.
I was on a path into the medical field during college and ended up shifting into social work. I’ve found that a lot of social workers do not intend to go into the field, and that was true for me as well. Despite being very well set up to be a social worker through my upbringing, I didn’t even know what social work was. Once I learned more about the field, I went in full force. I loved the flexibility and direct service opportunities that social work could provide.
I thought Marriage and Family Therapy interested me (I can’t imagine doing that now!) but ended up in an internship that changed the game for me. I was placed in a classroom at a therapeutic school run by a local mental health agency. The students at this school have not been successful in the public school setting (usually due to truancy, suspensions, behavioral issues, etc.) and have significant behavioral and mental health needs. During their school day, they receive education as well as extensive therapy services. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into this program, but I fell in love with it. I requested to do my master’s internship within the same program and was ultimately hired to be a therapist there.
In this role, I have found my place. I am wildly passionate about child mental health and treatment, including support of their families. I am interested in child development and various approaches for engaging with kids and families.
The game changed again when I had my son in 2020. I am continuing to gain a new perspective of child development and parenting as I work with my own toddler. My friends are also having children and I have found myself providing them with lots of tips and tricks about child development, mental health, parenting, and related products and books. I have found that I LOVE doing this for my friends, and have finally decided to combine all those thoughts in this little corner of the internet.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to explore our community here! Although my content will never be an adequate replacement for finding your own therapy services (as a matter of fact, I plan to write about how to find treatment!) my hope is that this can be a place that you can feel some connection with other parents, normalization of parenting struggles, help you gain better insight and build connection with your child, and get some ideas that will work for your family!