The "why" of human behavior has fascinated me since watching the Stanford prison study in college. I found it intriguing that participants behaved in ways that perplexed them after the study was over. It also affirmed to me how strongly influenced we are by our environments. After college, I worked in HR at a law firm and watched how work stress eroded the emotional and physical health of employees. I was so taken by this that I returned to school for counseling. My career includes providing group and individual therapy in inpatient, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings, counseling the persistently mentally ill, and providing therapy and assessments in forensic environments for both men and women. I also created an overcoming work stress program that I ran for over 5 years as my interest in helping clients understand and resolve their work stress remains a strong interest of mine. As I have done this work across diverse populations, I recognize that at the end of the day we all want to feel that we matter, we belong and we are loveable. For a long time, I couldn't say that of myself and it was through therapy that I now can. I do consider my life's professional work to help others see this in themselves.