I spent 6 years in the military working as military law enforcement. During this time, I found myself battling my own mental health struggles and had to reach out for help. I struggled to take that step because I believed it meant I was broken. Therapy helped me connect with myself, understand my feelings, and respond to what I was struggling with in a way that created a better experience for me.

During my time in the military, I became passionate about barbering. Through this outlet, I discovered I was not alone in my struggles. During my deployment, many men began sharing their stories and struggles with me during their haircuts. I felt honored that these men felt safe to share their stories with me. It was the first time I saw that each of us leads a life of silent suffering in some way. Because of this experience, I sought out a new career path in therapy.

After I transitioned out of the military, I felt disoriented in life and overwhelmed by having to start over. The life I had built for myself was gone, and I became filled with resentment and self-critical, feeling like I had screwed everything up. At this point, I knew the person I was becoming was not who I wanted to be. Once again, I had to reach out for help. That first step was still difficult, but I knew I was not broken and that  I just needed help slowing down and understanding what was beneath my pain.

Six years later, I’m a husband, father, and now a therapist. I still attend therapy, not because of a belief that I’m broken or that I’m not who I want to be, but because my job is to help those who are hurting sit with the heavy emotions they carry.

I believe that in order for me to do that for others, I must practice doing that for myself. My clinical training and education have given me the knowledge and tools to be effective as a therapist, but it is important to me that I understand what it feels like to sit on the couch, not just the chair.

My strength as a therapist, father, and husband is not because I have cracked the code to life. I haven’t. My strength is knowing that there's value in sitting with those difficult emotions, and that when we learn to connect with the pain we’ve been ignoring, we can create a new experience for ourselves.