I just had to start out this blog with the most dramatic title I could think of. Last week my best friend and co-founder of Psychustle took flight to Europe to pursue her dream of being a remote therapist while traveling the world.
I was reflecting on her journey and recalling our intro video for Psychustle, when she shared her plans to become a remote therapist. I always thought that sounded like an incredible experience, but it felt so far away. Well, here we are! She didn't miss a beat. As soon as she got her license, she had a plan in place and the courage to pursue her dream.
So the purpose of this blog is twofold. First, it is to commemorate the hard work and courage that has landed Daniela in honestly the coolest position ever doing remote work from EUROPE!! And two, to celebrate the fact that in our field and at this time in history there is so much flexibility and variety in terms of job pursuit.
Not to get too gushy but Daniela is one of the hardest working people I know. She really embodies a "hustler." She has busted her a*s to get to where she's at and she's worked with some really challenging populations and in challenging settings along the way. Seeing her attain everything she has been striving for is really humbling. We had a chance to reminisce before she left and were thinking back to our recovery coaching days, when we were both new and terrified, only having our Bachelors degrees at that point and wondering what the future held. It's really been an incredible journey to see her flourish as a professional and see her confidence grow.
That being said, if anyone can pull off being a super hip travel-blogging therapist, it's her. And hopefully she will inspire some of us to be so bold as well. It's really incredible how much our field has evolved over the last few years. It's unfortunate that the pandemic was the trigger event, but telehealth has really opened up a multitude of opportunities for us. Working remote was an idea that felt so far away for me prior to the pandemic. It seemed awkward and ineffective from a distance. But boy was I wrong. It's the greatest thing that has happened to our field. It has made therapy and mental health services in general accessible for virtually everyone. I would say probably half of my caseload would not be able to attend therapy if the telehealth option was not offered. So that's pretty miraculous! We're really being given the opportunity to finally get help to those who have needed it most, but just didn't have the access or the resources. And even more beauty in this is the fact that we can literally provide services from ANYWHERE.
Last year I worked from Atlanta for a week and, although I did disclose that to my clients, none of them would have been able to tell the difference. And I had the opportunity to experience the city and spend time with family. In another time, I would have had to take that week off and my clients would not have been able to receive services. Telehealth has really opened up endless opportunities for us as mental health professionals and I am so excited to see where it takes us and the communities we are helping. I feel so hopeful for my future and for the future of this field.
And I feel a little extra hopeful watching Daniela live out this incredible experience and I cannot wait to visit her and share some Psychustle abroad experiences!
Your hustler,
Karina G., MSW
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