Marriage and Family Therapist in a group practice in Milford, CT. Brianna works with couples, families & individuals coping with a variety of challenges, including mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Program of Study
Marriage & Family Therapy Class of ’22
Q&A
What inspired you to apply to be an FCHC Scholar?
Finances are such a big thing for graduate students. Because of my life circumstances, I needed to work as much as possible because I was putting myself through my program. I thought being accepted into this program would allow me to back down on number of hours I was working to pay my way through school so that I could focus on school, internship, and ultimately becoming the marriage and family therapist I wanted to be. I was really interested in learning more about integrative healthcare, specifically how to work and communicate effectively with other clinicians. That was a topic we didn’t touch upon in my program. I was also excited about the opportunity to do a passion project-It was an opportunity to learn more about a topic that really interested me while getting to know students from other programs!
What were some benefits of being a scholar?
The monthly meetings and trainings felt like a great addition to my MFT program. They addressed specific topics that helped to balance out everything I was learning, focused on life after the program, and offered opportunities to collaborate, learn from, and network with students from other programs. I also have connections and opportunities that last beyond graduation!
What are some important skills or lessons you learned?
The biggest thing for me was understanding the power of integrated care and the importance of communication with other providers in a care team. I learned to take a position of curiosity about the perspective of other professions in a care team. Also, to be curious about the language used in other professions to understand clients because this allows the team to create collaborate frames of mutual clients, so everyone is on the same page. Having that level of communication can really impact a client’s progress. Now, I consider reaching out to other providers in a team essential for client care.
How did your experience as an FCHC scholar prepare you for your clinical work? How has it influenced the work you do now?
My current work includes treating adolescents with eating disorders, which necessitates multidisciplinary teams. My experience being an FCHC Scholar taught me how to work in teams and create collaborative frames of a client, so we have a mutual understanding of the client. My colleague and I recently applied to provide a training at an eating disorder conference for clinicians specializing in treating eating disorders. Our workshop is specifically about creating common languages and collaborative frames of clients to support sustainable recoveries. My experience as an FCHC scholar influences all the work that I do!
What advice would you give to someone considering applying?
I encourage people who are applying to genuinely take advantage of all the opportunities that the scholars program makes available to you. It could be easy to focus on the financial aspect only, but just be mindful that it’s not just a financial benefit. There are many opportunities to learn practical tools in your career. Go into this wanting to learn and engage. Take advantage of all the connections available to you. It’s an investment that returns in full.
