To whom it may concern, My name is Ty Donaldson, and I am a second-year master's student in counseling. One of the things that I have struggled with my whole life is education. I did have an IEP growing up (and do now) but was not diagnosed with dyslexia until 2021. This diagnosis has been a relief because it has answered my lifelong question of why I felt different. I do have seeds of doubt if I will be able to be a successful counselor (considering the paperwork that is involved), and others asking that same question of me has only amplified that doubt. Plus, adding health complications has not made this journey any easier. However, I refuse to let these obstacles stop me. I am not in this for me but on this path to help remind others like me that they, too, can achieve their dreams.

To whom it may concern, First, I want to thank you for your generous donation. Secondly, please excuse any grammatical errors. I was recently diagnosed with dyslexia. I use the Grammarly app, but it does not catch all grammar errors. Throughout the last 5-7 years as a childcare giver, I have watched parents and children struggle with the educational and medical system (in WA state at least) to get/receive the proper help that they need, whether it be parents/guardians trying to advocate for their child to be evaluated or the child's adult fighting with the school system to provide their child with an IEP or 504 even after being screened/evaluated by a psychologist. Many parents/guardians I have worked with have told me it has taken about 7 years for a medical professional to diagnose their kid adequately. Three reasons parents stated to me why it took so long for a diagnosis: 1) often they were /are dismissed (were told their child was fine when that was not the case), 2) the lack of psychiatrist and psychologist available, and 3) the shortage of mental health professionals available for children. Often, their child was on a waiting list anywhere from 6 months to 2 years (and the pandemic has not made the waiting period any better). I am passionate about this because of my own struggles with being neurodivergent. It is often a difficult journey for the parent seeking help for their child and the child. The child typically knows they are different but cannot explain why they feel or behave differently, yet they long to fit in. Their parent longs to fit in with the other parents but slowly becomes more isolated because of their child's different needs or disruptive behavior. Often, I have to remind the child's adult that their child(ren) are not being intentionally defiant or challenging. I explain that their child's brain works entirely differently from a neurotypical brain. This, at times, is hard for some parents to grasp because they have only been around typical children or no children at all until their own. I want to educate parents/guardians, kids, adolescents, young adults, and adults about their rights when it comes to seeking an IEP or other accommodations for their kids or themselves at school or work. Many people do not know their rights regarding these types of manners. Unfortunately, faculty at schools or the workforce often know this and say they cannot provide an IEP or other accommodations, even though they could if they genuinely wanted to. I desire to be that bridge for parents/guardians, their children, and individuals seeking answers/resources in getting the proper help their child/ themself needs. If I am not able to help them with the care that they are seeking, hopefully, my referral will help expedite them being seen sooner rather than later. I want to help prevent my future clients from being put on a long waiting list. Parents/guardians of neurodivergent children (or individuals who are neurodivergent) just want to be heard and understood. They do not want to be dismissed/gaslighted/ judged. The main priority of a counselor is to help/guide people to learn why they think/behave the way they do. However, this cannot be accomplished if one (i.e., the counselor) is unwilling to listen to their clients' questions and concerns. It is in our (i.e., counselors) listening we begin to truly hear others. When we can hear others, we begin to see others more clearly. And when we are finally able to see others, that is when we start to connect the puzzle pieces of their story.

My name is Ty Donaldson. I was recently diagnosed with dyslexia, so if there are grammatical errors, please excuse them (I use Grammarly, but it does not always catch my mistakes). Receiving my diagnosis was hard but freeing because I now had a name for my learning disability. I no longer felt confused about why I felt different from my peers, friends, and family. Currently, I am a first-year graduate student for a degree in CMHC. I am the first person in my family to pursue an MA degree and was the first to obtain my BA degree. Initially, I was apprehensive about how my dyslexia would affect my academic performance, especially since I had been out of school for about 10 years. School (kindergarten through my undergrad years) was always challenging for me. If an assignment were supposed to take an hour, it would take me double the time to complete. Hence why, my hesitation about returning to school. Surprisingly, I did well in the first semester of my MA program; my cohort and the CMHC Team recently nominated me to be part of the Graduate Student Committee (GSC). My responsibilities entail assisting the program coordinator, communicating with my cohort about upcoming events, and planning outside-of-class gatherings. I was surprised to learn about this and was honored that they selected me to be a GSC, given that only 2-3 students are nominated from each cohort. Once I graduate, I will open my counseling practice. I want to work with trauma patients, support parents with neurodivergent children, work with adolescents, and provide webinars/conferences for religious organizations to bring awareness about the potential dangers of mental health. I also want people (of all backgrounds) to know that receiving therapy does not make them weak spiritually or emotionally. Before the pandemic and returning to school, I spent my spare time playing beach volleyball, taking walks to the beach and trials near me, and many years volunteering at my church as a worship leader and Sunday school teacher. Once things started to open up, I started learning Jujitsu and loved it. However, since returning to school and working two jobs, I have had to step down as a worship leader and Sunday school teacher and only attend my Jujitsu classes when time permits. While I may not be able to volunteer weekly anymore, I have always made it a priority to make a difference in and outside my community, whether offering help to someone who needs assistance, taking the time to check in on someone whom I notice is having a hard day, or calling/stopping by a shelter to see if they can take in a family that I had just passed by on the street. I also have a beautiful, sponsored child in Africa (that just turned a year old) and love getting updates about them. I hope to meet them someday through video calling or in person. Even though money is tight, I am thankful that I can support them and their family during trying times. I am learning that acts of kindness do not always have to be big to have a lasting impact on someone's life. Lastly, if I were chosen for one of the scholarships offered here, I could pay off my undergrad school loans, allowing me to start paying off my graduate school loans and putting more money towards getting my service dog. To have one less school loan would be a tremendous blessing. Cheesman family, thank you! Because of your generous support, you help people like me to achieve their dreams sooner. Sincerely, Ty Donaldson

Battling with mental illness is no joke. Although I think what's worse is battling with it & not knowing that you're struggling with mental illness. From the time I was a teenager till my late 20s, I remember feeling this heaviness in my chest. A weight that I couldn't shake off. I remember dreading waking up to another day. It felt like I was walking outside my body. Time kept passing by while my world just stood still. It felt like a nightmare that I could never escape. I was silently screaming for help, only for no one to hear my screams. My coping skills were to work a ton of hours, let people walk over me (I was a people a pleasure), & have a smile on my face all the time. But eventually, this all caught up to me. So I started therapy. My therapy journey has not been all uphill, but that's a story for another time. I can say therapy has provided me with a healthy tool belt. This tool belt has taught me how to navigate through life challenges to manage my CPTSD, anxiety, & financial stresses. The first tool that my therapist taught me is Space. To create space for my feelings. To acknowledge them. To label my feelings, embrace them, & ride the wave. That the more I resist my emotions, the harder I will crash (emotionally, physically, mentally, & spiritually). The second tool my therapist taught me is Rest. I can't tell you how often my therapist got on my case to REST! Resting may sound like a simple task, but it is not for people like myself. I didn't even know that this is a thing for anxious people. Yet alone, I didn't even know that I battle with anxiety until I started therapy. So, how do I incorporate rest into my life? For me, it's through exercise, puzzles, or massages. Am I consistent at implementing these activities into my life? No. But my therapist & my crew (closes friends) keep me accountable when they notice I neglect to incorporate REST into my life. The third tool my therapist taught me is Help! What do you mean, you ask? I've struggled most of my life asking for a helping hand, to the point that I wouldn't ask until I reached my breaking point. It took me months to access this tool within my tool belt. It was foreign to me. I felt embarrassed to ask for help because I felt like I was being bothersome to others. I felt like I was being needy. My therapist worked very hard with me, trying to understand that asking for help is not a weakness but a sign of strength. These are the three tools that I have been actively incorporating into my new coping skills. Have all of my unhealthy coping mechanisms been eliminated? No. At first, it was a daily struggle to access these new tools, but it has gotten easier over time. Sometimes my brain goes into survival mode & my therapist has to remind me of my tool belt. That is the struggle sometimes with CPTSD & I have learned to accept this. Has my tool belt helped me clear my mind? No. But it has helped me calm my mind. Which I never thought in a million years could be a possibility. To experience moments of peace from my thoughts is like an escape to a waterfront for me. Even if it only lasts a few minutes & that for me, is a win in my book.

My long-term professional goals are to create an awareness of the dos & don'ts of counseling in religious organizations. I believe religious leaders have the best intentions to help their members yet end up causing more harm than good because they don't have the basic training on how to counsel people. I also deeply desire to create awareness among families & child caregivers about the red flags of overly well-behaved children. These are the children who are typically suffering the most & are overlooked until it is much too late. I know this because I was that child. I didn't understand why no one saw my pain until one day in college. The lecture was on warning signs of a child suffering. While what my professor shared was all true, my classmate & I respectively shared our input about the red flags to look for in a well-behaved child. Particularly an over well-behaved child. Because we were those kids, we always had a smile on our faces & maintained good grades. Never got into trouble & were well-liked by our teachers. However, no one knew we were struggling with self-harm & suicidal thoughts. I don't want another child to suffer in silence like my classmate & I did. This is one of the reasons why I am pursuing my master's in clinical psychology. To provide a safe space for kids to talk openly about their feelings & to hopefully create more awareness about the red flags of overly well-behaved children. The greatest suffering is suffering in silence, in my opinion. Being a child's voice when they can't speak is my greatest passion & is one of the ways I support my community. Whether it is from sharing my insights with parents or teachers about some of my concerns about what I've been seeing in their kids to notifying a city about safety concerns regarding one of the parks. Or calling 911 because an older adult passed out in their car on the side of an on-ramp is how I serve my community. For years, I struggled with speaking up when I had concerns about anything because people would completely dismiss me. Eventually, through therapy, I learned it is better to speak up than not at all. Because you will never know how speaking up could have made a difference. So while I may not be serving with an organization (COVID has limited my ability for me to do so), I will continue to speak up. Whether it is someone who needs help or donating to a good cause, I will do just that. Often, we think serving our community is about being part of an organization, but truly, it is about helping whenever the opportunity comes your way. Even throughout my career, I won't stop speaking up, no matter how hard it may be. Lastly, my idea of impacting social change is to become a therapist for the BIPOC community. I want to help break the stigma BIPOC people have towards therapy. As a person who grew up in a colored family, it was very rare that we talked about our trauma & how we were feeling. I know this is not uncommon in BIPOC families. The lack of colored therapists available also creates a challenge for BIPOC people. It is very rare a non-colored therapist understands the challenges BIPOC people face, let alone understand our culture. I truly believe if the BIPOC community saw more BIPOC therapists on the market, I believe they would be more open to receiving therapy.

Life challenges can make one feel isolated, hopeless, & defeated. Life challenges can make one ask. "Is there ever going to be a light at the end of the tunnel?" "What is the point of all this suffering?" Which can make one feel even more alone. Especially when they face these challenges for weeks, months, or years. In the fall of 2021, I was hired to be a helping hand to a family of five. Three kids & two parents. They were by far the sweetest family I had ever worked for. One would never know the hell they were walking through until you got to know them behind closed doors. From their youngest to their oldest, they have spent months dealing with various health complications for their children. They spent countless hours trying to get proper medical help for their children, only to be dismissed. By the time they hired me, their two younger children's health complications were finally being treated. However, it was still an uphill battle trying to receive the proper help for their oldest. Their oldest is super intelligent yet is socially awkward. While also extremely sweet yet having a difficult time with transitions. No matter what tactics we used to ease transitions, 90 percent of the time, it would trigger a full-on tantrum (kicking, hitting, crying, & screaming). Tantrums, yes, are typical for children but not for an eight-year-old. I knew that it wasn't for the lack of the parents following through, but instead, there was something more serious going on. Their oldest outbursts would be so severe that it required two adults to carry them to their room. I reassured the parents that their child was not misbehaving to despise them but rather that their child had no control over their outbursts. When these tantrums occurred, the parents would break down in tears. They shared with me that these outbursts have been occurring since their child was two years old & that they only have gotten more intense. Their child even expressed that they felt different & hated it when people laughed at them whenever they were experiencing a meltdown. Their child also has extreme fears of electronics & their house catching on fire. Every electronic in their room has to be unplugged at night in order for them to sleep soundly. The parents asked me if this was typical of an eight-year-old child. I told them no. "Honestly, I think your child may be on the spectrum & here's why." The parents were able to get their child evaluated finally & the results did confirm what I told them. They said, "M...is autistic-like you thought. Thank you for all your help with M. You not only tolerated M's behavior but saw past it to its core, faster than we did in years, & helped nudge us along to get them the help they need. I can't believe you were right; you're so insightful! I just wanted you to know how special it is that you're able to see those things & know what they are." Receiving this type of message had me in tears & it is one of the final factors that encouraged me to pursue getting my master's in psychology. It took my nanny family 7.5 years to officially get a diagnosis for their oldest child. This is unacceptable. I want to help prevent another family from going through a similar experience. I learned when one listens; the better one gains understanding.

I've learned optimism doesn't mean having a smile on your face every day. It is about choosing to find at least one blessing in your day, even when you're at your lowest. I am also learning to find the happy moments amid your troubles. To cherish the memories you got to create with a person, at a place, or with a thing even after they're no longer here. Optimism has taught me to look for the lesson through life's beautiful & tragic times. Each of those moments has a life lesson that can be learned. Is it easy to do this? No. It is a daily choice that has to be consciously made. Optimism doesn't mean that your life is perfect. Nor that you have it all together. Honestly, I believe it is quite the opposite. It is being honest with yourself about how you are genuinely feeling while also being able to find joy & gratefulness through any circumstance you face. Optimism shouldn't be a mask covering up how we truly feel but rather a safe space where we can be open & honest with ourselves while still acknowledging what we are grateful for (even when we don't want to). To me, optimism is about finding hope even in your darkest hours. Because without it, the light disappears from one's heart & soul.

I was aware that my skin color was different at a very young age. My peers & teachers did not fully understand the struggles of being a minority. As an adolescent, I saw the lack of helpful resources available for children who have experienced trauma. As an adult, I've noticed that when parents & children are experiencing trauma together, parents typically don't have the capacity to provide the emotional support their children need. With each of these life experiences, I realized just how much there is a need for more moral support in these specific areas of life. This is one of the many reasons I am pursuing my master's degree in clinical psychology. By becoming a clinical psychologist, I will be one more therapist of color available for the BIPOC community. As a client myself, I have three mental health providers, & only one of them is black. Because where I live, there aren't many colored therapists available. I want the BIPOC community to feel like they have options to choose from when picking their mental health provider. Therapy can be challenging for BIPOC people because, more times than not, they have to explain to a therapist the challenges they face as a minority & as well their cultural upbringing. This can be triggering for BIPOC people because this is something that they have had to do almost their entire lives. So the last person they should have to try & explain this to is their therapist. My education goal is to become a therapist for all age groups. My life goal is to bring more awareness to parents, teachers and volunteers about warning signs to look for when a child has experienced trauma (emotionally & physically). Many are aware of the negative warning signs, but many aren't very aware of the positive-negative warning signs. For example, being super positive every day and never getting into trouble. These are the kids that are typically suffering the most & no one thinks they are because these kids know how to mask their hurt. However, they long for someone to notice their pain. Lastly, I want to create a program (or a family practice) (perhaps both) on how to help parents be better at emotionally supporting their children when their family is/has gone through a traumatic event. I don't have all the details of how this would work or look, but I know this is a need. Because I have seen it time & time again. The kids just get left in the background. There is this thought, "oh, they're just kids. Kids are resilient." Or the parents are in so much pain themselves that they forget that their children still need them as well. Not just providing for their kids' physical needs but also their emotional needs. By helping impact one life at a time, I believe that there would be a ripple effect on the lives around them. That others around them would see their growth & would be inspired to seek out a journey of personal development, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. That unhealthy coping skills will be broken & new healthy coping skills will be learned & passed down to future generations. So when I envision positively impacting this world, I imagine this.

The most helpful financial advice that I ever received was from my mentors. The suggestion they gave me was not to put all my eggs in one basket. Meaning diversify your income. To create an income that will make an ongoing cash flow. Not to spend but to help you save & pay off debt. Because of my mentors' advice, I've been primarily prepared when unexpected expenses have occurred. Before my mentors, my mom was the one who helped me open my first bank account & understand the dos & don't of credit cards use. Her educating me on how banks work & how to use a credit card truly helped me not get into unnecessary debt. She advised me to treat my credit card like a debit card. It should be used as an in-between financial resource to pay bills on time until you get paid again. And once you are paid, you should pay off your card as soon as possible. She also taught me that paying my credit card off on time would increase my credit score, which would one day help me buy a car or a house. The advice that I received from my mentors & mom about finances has set me on a path to financial stability. When I am making major financial decisions, there is not a moment when one of their voices doesn't replay in my head. I know many people don't receive this type of advice until much later in life. And if they do, they typically pay an arm & a leg to receive the kind of advice that I have. I do realize that I am very blessed to receive such soundful advice at a young age & I don't take that for granted.

I believe one change that would make education better for future generations is requiring all school districts in each state to teach the same curriculum. I was always perplexed by why foster kids struggled academically (my grandmother was a foster parent). However, I got a firsthand experience of why that is. In my seventh-grade year, my family picked up & moved from one school district to another. Academically, I've always struggled. I had an IEP since the age of five years old. However, my seventh-grade year through the ninth-grade year was tough. Things weren't clicking. It wasn't until I talked with a peer who lived where I used to live & I learned that the curriculum we were learning was different. The math in Renton School District was two years behind the Lake Washington School District. I knew this because I saw their math book. They were two years older than me. So we were both learning the same math but clearly at different ages. This explained a lot as to why I struggled so much in school. I didn't move states. I didn't move even an hour away. Yet I was two years behind academically. I fortunately only had to move one school district to another once. However, I know this is not the case for many kids. The type of education system we have is not working. It is not designed for children who have to move around. It is also not intended for children who live in lower-income cities. There really shouldn't be an excuse for why all children can't receive the same type of education in today's world. Each state should have a law that every school district has the same curriculum. So if a child moves from one school district to another, they can pick up where they left off. For example, if algebra is taught in seventh grade in one school district, it should be taught in all seventh grades in that state. I wish it were a law that all 50 states have to teach the same curriculum, yet I know this isn't possible for legal reasons. However, I do hope that one day each state will implement a law saying that every school district is required to teach the same curriculum. I genuinely believe that this would make education better and more equal for future generations.

Educational Pursuits: I have been considering pursuing my master's in psychology for years. However, the two things that were holding me back; were my trauma & finances. For the last few years, I have had excellent therapists who have been helping me work through my trauma. Through their help, I am in a better place emotionally & mentally. As far as finances, I am still paying off my student loans from 2011. I am highly concerned about the debt I will accumulate from my master's program. So this scholarship will honestly help me pay off the remaining school loans from my BA degree. Career/Life Aspirations: At a young age, I had a knack for being able to read people and knowing when something was wrong. Because of this, I've always been driven to help others. It is hard for me to ignore someone when they are hurting. Through therapy & former employers, they have genuinely encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming a therapist. I want to offer therapy to all people but mainly to the BIPOC community. There is a lack of diversity of color therapists where I live. I understand the struggles of explaining to a non-color therapist the cultural & racial struggles of being a person of color; in therapy, that is the last thing that a client should be concerned about. I also want to become a counselor because I went through a lot as a teenager & young adult. I remember feeling like I was drowning because I didn't have a safe space to talk about my emotions openly. Through this personal experience, I learned how much emotional weight children carry. And how our world doesn't offer many opportunities for children to express their emotions openly & honestly. Because of this, I want to open a practice that also offers child therapy. However, my EMDR therapist has highly encouraged me not to stop at just my master's degree. She truly believes that I would make a great psychiatrist. Through much thought, I do want to pursue that route. Obtaining my Ph.D. would allow me to become a neuropsychologist. Becoming a neuropsychologist would enable me to properly diagnose individuals through thorough testing & offer a treatment plan. Through personal experiences (my own & working with others), not knowing exactly what your or your loved one is struggling with is taxing & heartbreaking. So offering this type of service will help alleviate some of that stress for people. Community Involvement: My community involvement has been mainly through my church. I primarily worked with children from ages 0-14. I had one student who had severe asthma & would visit him at times when he was in the hospital. I got to see firsthand the toll this took on the mother, my student, & his brother. It broke my heart & opened my eyes to the struggles of what asthmatic children can go through. In September 2021, I registered to volunteer at the New Bethlehem Homeless Shelter in my hometown. Unfortunately, due to COVID, I have not had the opportunity to help there. I was told that volunteers should be able to return on April 15, 2022, which I am very excited about. Major Accomplishments: I never thought I would graduate from high school or college in a million years. Academically, I struggled immensely. I had an IEP from grade school through college. There were countless nights I would cry because school was that hard for me. If it weren't for the support of my mom, I wouldn't be where I am today.

To Whom It May Concern, When you have lost multiple loved ones, it is so easy to focus on the things that have gone wrong in your life. I know this is true for me. So gratitude is something that doesn't come easily to me. It is a daily chore. However, through therapy, I am learning that gratitude doesn't mean that I ignore my grief. Instead, it reminds me to appreciate the memories I got to create with those I lost & it reminds me to not take life for granted. So practicing gratitude lately has been through tears. Tears of joy, of the memories I got to create with those that are no longer around. Tears of sorrow, that they are no longer here. Tears of hope, of what the future holds. Tears of thankfulness, for God carrying me through the darkest moments of my life. Gratitude to me is like the weather. Without the rain, there would be no water or plants. Without the sun there wouldn't be light or flowers. These two elements have to co-exist to create beauty. And gratitude to me is the same way. It is through the hardships that we learn to truly appreciate life. But only if we choose to. Does gratitude mean we always have a smile on our faces? No. It sometimes involves tears streaming down our faces & that's okay. ~ Ty Donaldson

How my personal experience with mental health shaped my goals & relationships, and understanding world, I would say began around 2002, October 12, 2004, and February 3, 2012. These three years are what shaped & molded me into the person that I am today. In the year 2002, (age 13) my parents divorced. On October 12, 2004 (age 15), my stepdad went into anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting. This left him in a disabled state (he couldn’t move nor talk). His accident happened only a few months after my mom & him got married. By October 13, 2007, he passed away. On Feb 3, 2012, I was in a house fire. My immediate family wasn’t home when the fire happened. So, they had no idea all the triggers my heart, soul, & mind was undergoing months later. This day shook me to my core & left me feeling isolated. Isolated because none of my friends & family knew how much turmoil I was in. Because I hid my suffering from them. I was embarrassed. Embarrassed because even years later, I was still struggling immensely with this day. I just remember feeling lost, scared, numb, & terrified to do my daily tasks. Little did I know that six years later, I would finally receive answers as to why I felt as miserable as I did. In 2018 I started CBT therapy. Initially, I began CBT therapy due to a good friend that unexpectedly passed away that year. When I first started, it was very obvious to my therapist that I struggled with anxiety. This was hard news for me to accept. I didn't want to believe it because of my faith background. My belief system taught me that mental health isn't a thing. So, terms like depression & anxiety weren't taken seriously. It was thought that these things could be resolved through prayer. A year into my treatment, I was then diagnosed with CPTSD. This diagnosis was a blessing & a curse. A blessing because I finally had answers as to why I felt so out of sorts. But also, a curse because I felt that I was broken. It was like this weight was lifted while then asking, "okay, what’s next"? "How do I move forward from here?" My therapist was honest with me. She informed me that due to the amount of trauma I had experienced, it was beyond what she was trained in. So, she highly encouraged me to receive therapy from someone who specialized in PTSD. In 2019, my journey of EMDR therapy began. I decided to continue to receive CBT treatment along with my EMDR therapy. Between receiving CBT & EMDR therapy, it has been a tough road but an amazing experience overall. It is through my personal experience of therapy that I truly begun to understand the importance of mental health & the various types of treatments that are available. How one type of therapy does not fit all. That it is okay to have multiple therapists at once. That healing takes time. And within that healing process, life still happens. So, to be kind & gracious to yourself in this journey. I have a strong desire to break the cultural stigma that the People of Color (POC) community has towards therapy. To help them understand that “whatever happens in this family, stays in this family” is unhealthy. To help these communities know it is possible to find trust within therapy. That emotional healing is possible. To also be another POC therapist on the market. For there are very few ethnic therapists available. It is very hard & exhausting having to sit down & explain to someone (especially a therapist) your people’s culture. Doesn’t matter if you grew up in America or not. We may live in the same world, but we still live in very different worlds. Our history is deep within our roots & still has a major impact on us today. It would be wonderful to help other therapists understand what the POC community goes through within & outside their home. To create classes & conferences with other POC therapists. To help other counselors learn about the struggles & cultural differences that POC face. The desire to connect with someone is all within us. The desire to be understood is even greater. Yet the gap of culture differences, really hinders that process for POC, especially in therapy. POC want someone who looks like them & understands their cultural struggles. Yet when that option is not available, it makes it nearly impossible for them to experience true emotional healing. While the non POC community may never fully understands what it is like to be in our shoes, the more we try to close that gap in the therapeutic world, truly, I believe the more effective therapy will have on POC community. For in the POC community, there are not many places for us to let our guards down. There is this constant need to guard ourselves physically & emotionally. To prove society wrong that we are not another statistic of what the media portrays us to be. We are constantly compromising ourselves, in order to make the non POC community, “feel safe” around us. This within in itself is exhausting. And in therapy, no client should have to be concern about such things. This world is broken because it is filled with broken hearts. Broken hearts that want to be loved, heard, & seen. Not matter how hard one's extieror shell is, deep down, they are desiring to be accepted for who they are. If I could be on more person in therapeutic world to offer a safe space like my therapists have offered me, then I will do everything that I can to achieve that dream. For no one should ever have to suffer in silence because of their mental health.