At the age of 19, right at the peak of my sophomore year of college, I started experiencing some serious discomfort in my emotions and my body. I was always a "clingy child" growing up and was constantly worrying about little things. I remember there were times when I would feel down, even when nothing bad was happening around me. As I grew up, I became a professional overthinker and I continued to notice those low moods that would come over me. Coming from a Hispanic culture and Christian upbringing, mental health was not well understood, and it was often stigmatized. The solution was to pray about it, or not think about it. Only, no matter how hard I prayed, and no matter how hard I tried to shove my feelings into the "don't think about it" box of my brain, it felt like it reinforced the negative emotions within. Going back to my 19-year-old self, I finally caved and visited my doctor following multiple headaches, stomachaches, and sleepless nights later. After running several neurological exams and running my blood work, my doctor politely informed me that I was very “healthy”, and I was only experiencing generalized anxiety and a major depressive episode. A script was written for an antidepressant with a limited explanation as to how it helps, and a referral was made for therapy. I didn’t take the medication right away. It took me several months before I became comfortable with the idea of taking a medication. But even then, I felt that it wasn’t enough for my symptoms to go away. I decided to start therapy, and the first experience was daunting. I sat in this quiet room, feeling nervous and afraid of what this person in front of me was thinking of me. The therapist didn’t say much, and as you can imagine, I didn’t say much. I left the therapy session feeling even more hopeless. Two therapists later, I finally found someone I felt somewhat (but not entirely) comfortable with. My anxiety and depression were hard to deal with, but it was hard for my family to see me suffer. My mother and father took it upon themselves to learn everything there was to learn about my condition, and they were my rock. My personal experience with mental health made me realize that mental health is a very real thing, and treatment shouldn’t be limited to swallowing a pill. My personal experience inspired me to pursue a career in mental health. Today, I am a licensed psychotherapist. I have worked with countless people in managing their mental health, and I quickly realized how broken the system is. Therapists working for community agencies are severely burned out and carrying heavy caseloads that sacrifice the quality of their care. After a decade in the field and frustrated with the system, I finally decided to venture out on my own. I opened my private practice in May 2023. I am on a mission to help those struggling with mental health encounter a safe space to understand their diagnosis, increase self-awareness, overcome their challenges, and experience proven interventions that provide relief. More importantly, I love to teach holistic interventions to manage symptoms and help people feel empowered. Today, I still struggle with my anxiety and depression, but I have learned strategies outside of just taking my pill, that have increased my quality of life. If granted this scholarship, I will use it towards covering costs for EMDR training. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a non-drug related treatment that is proven to help provide relief for people struggling with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, amongst other mental health conditions. I express my deepest condolences for your loss and I thank you for your consideration. My hope is to end the cycle of mediocre care in the mental health field.

My name is Elizabeth Lara and I’m a first-generation Hispanic. I was born on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and at the age of three, my parents moved to Florida leaving behind their family and friends for better opportunities. I grew up as a Pastor’s kid, always surrounded by humble people who were willing to volunteer their time to help others. I was always drawn to the helping field, and I knew this from a young age because I was happiest when I was helping others. This led me down the path of my career as a licensed psychotherapist. In 2012, I received my Master of Social Work from Florida State University. I was the first in my immediate family to obtain a graduate degree, and I went on to pursue clinical licensure to practice in mental health. In the Hispanic culture, mental health is not widely understood, and getting help for your emotional or mental problems is often seen as a sign of weakness. It has been an honor to be a part of ending the stigma associated with mental health in my culture, in my extended family, and even in my faith community. Through the course of my career, I have worked as a therapist at an outpatient substance abuse clinic helping individuals overcome painful experiences that were keeping them stuck in the cycle of addiction. I have also supervised an intensive in-home therapy team, providing services to children and youth with significant behavioral problems. Life threw a curveball at me in 2017 following my divorce and my firstborn’s Autism diagnosis. I became a single mom and struggled financially for years, but that didn’t stop my career and life aspirations. It only lit a fire in me to work harder to provide for my princess and obtain my goals. I went on to work with active-duty military members providing counseling services; a position that subsequently opened the doors for me to work at the Veteran’s Administration. I always thought that working at the VA was my “endgame”, but as it turns out, I was not entirely happy working there. I wanted to have the flexibility of time to meet the needs of my special needs daughter, and the freedom to exercise full creativity in my therapeutic work. I had since remarried and birthed my second daughter. My husband ended his active-duty contract with the Marine Corps, and we moved back to Florida close to family. It was then that I decided to venture out on my own and open my private practice. In May of 2023, I launched my online private practice. It is a great accomplishment that I never thought was possible for me as a Hispanic woman coming from a family that had the bare minimum to survive when we came to the States. If I am granted this scholarship, it will allow me to use my freed-up money to get necessary treatments for my special needs daughter. It will also allow me to grow my private practice through marketing and get additional certifications (EMDR Training) to further sharpen my skills as a trauma and anxiety specialist, allowing those in my community to benefit from affordable mental health treatment. As you can imagine, my education, licensure, and ongoing professional training came at a great financial cost. I didn’t grow up with financially literate or debt-free parents. I am just now in my 30s learning about how to create financial security and slowly overcoming limiting beliefs about money. Words cannot describe my appreciation for your willingness to provide aid. I thank you. - Elizabeth Lara