LCSW
#SW-15378
My interest in the field of human services is based on a longstanding observation that in general people are not supportive enough towards one another, thus causing undue stress and hardship in life. Relationships are the cornerstone to living a fulfilled life, so helping people develop a healthy relationship with themselves first, and then others has been an expertise that I have achieved. Pursuing a career in the “helping profession” always felt natural to me and aligned with my strengths of being a good listener, lending a helping hand, and understanding the complexities of emotional challenges. For over twenty-five years, I have worked in a variety of settings centering on understanding and promoting positive mental health. My experience as a therapist is broad and includes working with children, adolescence, families, adults and couples.
Throughout my time as a licensed clinician, I worked in private practice and expanded my clientele to include adults, couples, and families. This includes coaching and couples therapy. I have realized that no matter the situation, setting or age, the most important element is to meet people where they are at and help them to build on small gains. Impactful change happens when we individualize care and work together at a pace that promotes strength and resiliency. The areas that I have motivated individuals to overcome include: anxiety, depression, mood and trauma disorders.
Within the school setting I worked to help youth navigate the many age appropriate yet challenging trials and tribulations that occur when growing up. It is this experience over time that helps me to gain a better understanding of what youth need to prosper. Self esteem building, overcoming mean peer behavior, understanding self, and expanding emotional intelligence are just a few of the key areas that help youth to grow into the best versions of themselves.
My graduate internship turned into my first paid position working with children who had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. When this grant funded position ended, I entered a pre-school setting working with children 0-5 determining and promoting age appropriate developmental milestones and correcting deficits. I worked extensively with children, teachers and parents to facilitate assessments, formulate diagnosis, and guide interventions for optimal growth. This experience led me to an opportunity to work with youth that were placed in foster care and given up for adoption. I was responsible for a caseload of children in both residential and school placements, and provided respite support and clinical interventions. Due to the nature of how youth ended up in care, many of them were in crisis and required extensive therapy and other therapeutic interventions. It is this position that led me into a natural progression to work with youth and families in crisis at my then county’s regional crisis clinic, expanding the age ranges of whom I worked with to twenty-one years of age. This position was a comprehensive approach to determining the immediate needs of youth who were at risk of suicide and other self-injurous behaviors. I worked closely with community providers, schools, psychiatric facilities, doctors and policy makers in developing long-term plans.
When I decided to work in a school setting enabling me to spend time raising my four children, I was a pioneer in the field helping develop a teaching and learning center to incorporate both intelligences; emotional and intellectual. I oversaw a team of counselors, reading specialists, nurses and special education teachers. This department was novel and instrumental in changing the way the institution educated students. It provided a holistic approach. Collaboratively, we were able to individualize student plans that were all encompassing, while also shifting the schools culture and approach to students’ psychoeducational experiences. I have been in three school settings in my career serving pre k-12th grades, developing and implementing this same system of care.
My guiding principles in providing care are to look to the past to understand the present, and use the present to build a better future. Use pathology as a guide to formulate goals, not to define or label an individual. Use everyday wins as a way to create internal confidence that positive change is possible, understanding either way that change is inevitable.
Favorite quote: Be the Change You Wish To See In The World – Ghandi
Favorite Hobbies: Water sports, reading, dancing and meeting new people
Through my work with couples, families, and individuals, my hope is to leave a lasting impression within them of hope, strength and resiliency to live a healthy, worthwhile and meaningful life.
Through my work with people my hope is to leave a lasting impression within them of hope, strength and resiliency to live a healthy, worthwhile and meaningful life.
– Patricia M. DeVost, LCSW