Danielle is a Mental Health Therapist with Grit Psychology, a Canine Assisted Intervention Specialist, an Educator, and a talented, creative soul with a background and passion for Performing Arts.

I was a theatre kid, a triple threat if you will. I did classical ballet, was in musical theatre and was known as a trained vocalist. My grades in high school got me on the honour role, but I hardly spent time with anyone outside of school due to my gruelling ballet schedule. I was a bubbly student who everyone seemed to know or felt they knew, and yet my closest friends were in my dance and theatre classes.

I was pretty good at what I did, if I do say so myself. Everyone expected me to pursue the performing arts after high school, and I went so far as to consult with working professionals in that field. I had heard of the challenges associated with living gig to gig, and the weight of rejection when call backs for auditions didn’t come. I was told that life was hard as an artist, and was even told to “avoid this life at all costs” by a particularly struggling performer. I wanted to attend Sheridan College for the Performing Arts and began investigating the audition process, but once it became clear to me the incredible amount of work and dedication it takes to pursue your passions in this capacity, I have to say I was hesitant. I didn’t like the financial uncertainty that came with it, and my passion did not outweigh the risk.

I began to apply to universities, planning to pursue journalism and become a news anchor or travel writer. At least if I put in 4 years of work for a bachelor’s degree, I could get a good job with some benefits, and perhaps pursue theatre on the side. I was accepted to the U of C for a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree. I joined the University of Calgary Choir and earned credits singing each year I was a student. In my 3 rd year, I got a job on campus as an executive assistant to the director of communications in one of the faculties, and was swept into the world of written news briefings, university politics, social media management and a four-walled office job. By my fourth year, I did not like my office job, had not connected with any professors in my 200-people-plus lectures, and was looking for more in terms of my life-long career.

I graduated from the U of C, and was accepted that same autumn to start at the U of A in a 2-year after degree program to get a Bachelor of Education. I was going to be a teacher! Suddenly, I felt passionate about life again, and looked forward to marking, planning for, inspiring and creating with young minds. My time at the U of A was amazing; I met some people in my cohort that I am still close friends with today. I engaged in practicum placements that both challenged and motivated me, and my professors knew me by name. By the time I graduated, I had secured a job as a substitute teacher back home in Airdrie for the same school board I attended as a child.

Many of my former teachers hired me on as a sub, and I was very busy those first few months. I managed to acquire a contract that first September simply due to knowing and having the respect of so many teachers in the district. It really is true that sometimes your luck depends on who you know. I was fortunate to have my own class of 6 th graders, and to be teaching a few higher-middle school courses as well.

My second-year teaching grade 6, I watched as a student trashed my room every week as the rest of the kids huddled in fear. I had one child who attempted to take their own life. I comforted a child who came to school bloodied and bruised because her father lost his temper that morning. I had kids in that class who could read at a university level, and some I taught to read for the first time. I was not equipped to support them. I did take classes on how to differentiate instruction in my education degree, but I was not capable of knowing how to support the students with mental health concerns, significant cognitive impairments, or trauma. I was supposed to be teaching them about the fur trade and how to write a paragraph, but I found I cared much less for the curriculum than I cared about supporting the kids to be strong little humans.

I applied and was accepted to the University of Glasgow to take a Master of Science in Psychology degree just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Instead of traipsing across the world for more education, suddenly I was a full-time graduate student and a full-time COVID-19 teacher. While the pandemic allowed me some flexibility in terms of teaching, it was a struggle to manage a full course load and a full teaching schedule. I lived close to my parents at this time, and am so grateful that I did, for I’m not sure how I would have survived without their support.

I loved my master’s classes. Suddenly, I was able to learn why people are the way they are, and how to support them. My studies consisted of research methods, theories, diagnostics, pharmacology, neuroscience, treatment options and therapeutic approaches. I changed direction professionally and got a job as a learning support or special education teacher with the same school board. Now, my entire job was to support students’ unique learning needs. From learning braille for a visually impaired student, to planning lessons for students with severe cognitive impairments, I was feeling passionate about my work again. Without the constraints of a curriculum, or a concern about getting these kids to graduation, I could focus more on their wellbeing and helping them to learn skills that would support them throughout their lives.

Unfortunately, public schools are not remotely equipped or trained to support all students. I had a wonderful non-verbal student with whom I worked very closely. However, a high school environment was not what he needed. He was not toilet trained, had a broken family, and was quite violent. This child ended up assaulting each and every one of our education assistants, and soon I was the only one who would work with him. He could not express his emotions verbally, and so they often came out with punches, body slams, hair pulling and other behaviours. I admit, I was intimidated by him after he hit me a few times.

One day, I was walking around the school with him, and suddenly I found myself on the ground being dragged by my hair. I knew to just relax and stay calm and speak to him gently, but he soon dragged me into the office, where three other employees came to help and get him off me. A fistful of my hair laid on the ground, my clothes were dirty from the floor, and my eyes stung with tears. Worst of all, my mother was an administrative assistant at that school and was one of the staff members who had to pull this kid off me. She witnessed the whole thing, and it shook her.

I went to a back room and burst into tears. I was not upset at the child, I was disturbed because I did not know how to help him. Our school was not equipped to support him, and our staff were not trained to work with him in a way that was safe for him and for us. The school district’s advice was to “wear my hair up”, but my hair was in a bun that day, as it usually was when I knew I would be working with this particular child. He had grabbed my hair at the roots, close to the scalp. My scalp was purple and bruised for a week after.

I decided to take some time off work, as this incident ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of my stress in this particular position. I added a few elective courses to my roster focusing on understanding autism spectrum disorder and researching modalities for supporting non-verbal individuals. At this time, my health had taken a toll, and my stress was so high that I was on blood pressure medication. I thought long and hard about it and decided to transition into a guidance counsellor role for the next year.

As a counsellor, I had the time and ability to really work with kids and help them to build strategies for resilience. By this time, I was finishing my master’s degree and starting the process to become a registered psychologist. However, because I have degree from the UK, the process for registration is much more complex. It has taken me 3 years, and I am still not quite registered. I began my PsyD degree in 2024 to acquire more credits when the governing body determined I was not quite qualified to practice yet. So, once again, I am a full time student and a full time guidance counsellor.

I am also currently working as a Mental Health Therapist with a private clinic while I await my registration. A great psychologist saw the potential in me and my experience, and took me under his wing to begin practicing, even without my registration. Right now, I am able to provide low-cost therapy to my clients, and will soon be able to provide low-cost assessments as well. I have also acquired a Canine Assisted Intervention Specialist certification, and am able to provide canine-assisted therapy to clients with my dog, Roo. She is a certified and experienced therapy dog, and my very best friend. I am also raising a lab puppy to hopefully become a therapy dog when he is older.

It has been a long and winding road to get me to where I am, and I am not nearly finished yet. But I have finally found my passion: psychology. It took a lot of trial and error, and has taken an immense amount of work, but the passion for this career does outweigh the hard work and risk that comes with entering a new career. I hope to soon transition into psychology work full time and exit the education world. By the time I’m done, you’ll be calling me “Doctor”.

I advise everyone to keep pushing to find something they are passionate about. I don’t relate with the people who can work in a job they do not love, for I have worked hard to find work that I can do that lights my fire. Don’t be afraid to start over, to take out student loans, to apply for a new degree, to quit your job or to take time off to take care of yourself. All that matters is your journey that moves you forward toward finding out who you are and what you love. As Dory from “Finding Nemo” says, “Just keep swimming”.