Kaylee
Kaylee
I learned to listen to my body rather than ignoring it
Deciding to major in education and psychology was a logical choice for Kaylee, a young university student.
It means that as a teacher, she will be better equipped to meet the learning and emotional needs of her students—particularly those with mental health concerns.
For me, it’s important to align both things—education and psychology.
There are so many students who need assistance and I would like to have a positive impact on children’s lives.
Kaylee is no stranger to mental health issues—she has dealt with them since her early teen years. There were moments when she felt she simply couldn’t function normally and that her body and mind needed a rest.
She was encouraged to try to “just push on through,” but at times she felt stuck. It was not until her exposure to the field of psychology in college that she was finally able to identify her complex feelings and emotions as anxiety.
I took a psychology class that helped me so much. It changed my life.
I remember crying as I worked on some of the assignments because I too had gone through everything that was being described.
I realized that what I had was anxiety. After that, I began therapy.
“For me, it’s important to align both things—education and psychology.
There are so many students who need assistance and I would like to have a positive impact on children’s lives.”
The ability to recognize her symptoms and seek the help that she needed has been empowering for Kaylee. Now she pays closer attention to how her mind and body feel and she feels like she is flourishing.”
This whole process has made me so much stronger and has improved my self-esteem.
I see it as something that has helped me grow and achieve success. Now I can put my knowledge into practice to help myself—and to help others.
Kaylee is doing just that. Along with fellow university students, she founded a nonprofit mental health organization that provides educational services and low-cost therapy to people in Indigenous communities.
I’ve always done community work and I feel that this project is particularly important to me.
I’m passionate about this work that I’m doing with Indigenous populations. These groups are considered high risk for mental and physical conditions.
As a mental health coordinator for this project, I am happy to be able to provide a service that helps contribute to the well-being of these communities.
Kaylee’s story is also available in Spanish
