Checking In With Nicole Jabourian

Nicole Jabourian: I've actually worked with kids pretty much since I was in high school. I worked at a preschool when I was in freshman year, sophomore year, just did some volunteer work. And I loved working with kids. Again, as a kid, I never really had the resources and opportunities to go to therapy and to get help. And again, now working with kids on the other side, I know how important that is. That's something I want to give to those kids that might not have that much access to resources. So yeah, I just kind of want to give kids a safe space to share their feelings and come and talk. Yeah, I think I can just relate to them honestly. Again, I was in high school not too long ago, around ten years ago, and I know what they've gone through, and I know how tough that four years is for kids. And some kids just don't know how to express their feelings and just don't really know what they're going through until they talk about it in therapy. And I want to just help those kids that are having a tough time and don't know what to do about it or don't know how to cope with these difficulties. So I know what they're going through and I want to be there for them. Yeah, I think the biggest thing is social anxiety. Since COVID again, kids transitioning from middle school to high school, we're so used to being on the computer for a year, two years, and now going into a bigger school with more kids, they have to learn to adjust and make new friends. And it's really hard for kids, especially freshman year, when it's already a tough time. Yeah, they're trying to learn how to use new schools that they might not even have. So that's the biggest thing. Just some social anxiety, I think just depression as well. It's tough to fit in when you're at a new school with people you might not know, and just that pressure of making new friends and meeting people is really difficult. I knew child and teen counseling was my first choice from the start. I think my favorite thing about this place is the tight knit community. Everyone is very supportive of each other, the staff, supervisors, everyone looks out for each other. Everyone is there to help each other out and just be there for one another. And that's something I was looking for from the beginning. Yeah, that was fun. That was pretty good. Some of the questions I stumbled on, but now I know what you're going to ask me so I can answer them.