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I'm a Mental Health Therapist. Here's My Story.

I'm a mental health therapist. 

Here's my story.

*GIVEAWAY* 
Stay tuned for how you can win an ecopy of RACE THE DARKNESS and HUNT THE DAWN.


I’ve been a therapist for almost seventeen years. Wow. That makes me sound old. I spent the first five years of my career working at a community mental health agency. That job more than any other influenced my writing because there were many, many, many times I was actually frightened while working there. I was twenty-five and fresh out of grad school when started that job. It taught me a lot about the ugly side of humanity. It shoved the ugliness in my face and made me deal with it one-on-one in my office.

I saw everyone in that job. Kids. Adults. And nearly every mental disorder that exists. 

We were an agency that contracted with our local children’s services, with the courts, and parole boards. I saw men who’d been repeatedly convicted for domestic violence, who hated women and were outwardly demeaning to me because I was a young, semi-attractive woman. I saw numerous women ordered by children’s services for therapy because they caught their daughters being raped by their husbands and were angry with their daughters for enticing him. Sick, right? I saw men newly released from prison for murder. I saw sexually deviant men who fantasized about murdering and raping women and weren’t shy about telling me.

You get the idea why I was scared.

And that’s not even mentioning all the times I had to go over the emergency room to see clients who were in the middle of a psychotic break or who’d tried to kill themselves or someone else.

My bosses at that agency didn’t care if I was frightened. They simply said, “Every employee here is expendable.” Such a lovely attitude for a mental health facility. But I did get a ton of experience in those five years. And I unconsciously stored away lots of idea kernels for the books I would eventually write.

That job was not uplifting to my spirit.

If I hadn’t gotten my current job—in private practice—when I did, I can pretty much guarantee that I wouldn’t be a therapist today. For years after I left that old job I had a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder. And even now when I talk about my old job too much, I’ll have nightmares. Usually the nightmare goes something like this: I’m roaming the hallways of that old job, my arms full of charts, and I’m crying and muttering, “How did I get here? I swore I’d never come back here. I don’t want to be here.”

But on to my current job.

This job has fed my soul. The people who come in to see me, come because they want to get better—not because someone is making them! They are hungry for tips, tricks, and techniques to help them. They follow through. They put effort in. They inspire me.

Don’t think all my clients at this job are just the worried-well. They aren’t. They suffer from deep depression, debilitating anxiety, post-traumatic stress, general life stress, and horrific childhoods.

These clients have taught me about the resilience of the human spirit. They’ve made me appreciate my life all the more and see how downright lucky I’ve been to have been born into the family I was born into. How lucky I was to have married the guy I married. How lucky I was to find a day job (and night job—writing) that feeds my soul instead of sucking it dry.

The odd thing is... I don't think I'd write dark novels if it wasn't for that first job. I realize how lucky I was to have that job because it helps me to write the books I write today.


*GIVEAWAY* 
One person will win either Nook or Kindle copies of RACE THE DARKNESS and HUNT THE DAWN. But you have to follow all the instructions. All you have to do is:
1. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTERIf you've already subscribed then like my FACEBOOK PAGE.
2. Leave a comment telling me which one you used.
3. Pinky swear in your comment that you'll leave a review on Barnes and Noble or Amazon if you win. 
4. And be sure to include the email address you use with your Nook or Kindle in your comment. It's the only way I'll be able send your books if you win!

*Winner will be randomly selected on January 19th*




Abbie Roads writes dark emotional novels featuring damaged characters, but always gives her hero and heroine the same happy ending she wishes for all her clients. 

You can find her here: 
WEBSITE --Be sure to stop by on Tuesday and Thursdays for Author on the Couch: The psychology behind your favorite authors.
NEWSLETTER --Sign up for exclusive content and secret giveaways! 
FACEBOOK --To keep up with my daily happenings.
DANGEROUSLY DARK DARLINGS FACEBOOK GROUP --To know about all things Abbie Roads before anyone else! Super Special Giveaways and Exclusive content found no where else!
TWITTER --Because Tweets are sweet!

Comments

  1. I already liked your FB page, and signed up for your newsletter. I'll repost your feed, and I already have both books. One of which I wrote a review. So, I'm all good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I already subscribe to your newsletter on my Outlook acct. and follow you on FB! 😀 I love hearing stories about your work...so interesting to me! I teach high school Spanish and English...snow day today (one of the perks)! Thank you for this opportunity, and yes, I pinky swear to leave reviews if chosen:-) tarafarah7@kindle.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Done and Done & a member of your group I already have both ebooks too so I won't enter but when I do get to read them I will Review also.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Already subscribed to newsletter and liked fb page.
    Pinky swear to leave a review.
    Magenta602_90@kindle.com
    Thanks for the chance :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Subscribed & liked. Pinky swear to Neesie315@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liked your facebook link. Pinky swear I will leave an Amazon review. Lyda@zoomtown.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Subscribe and liked :)
    I triple Pinky swear that leave a review on Amazon. My user name is InkMonster (that way you know I have done it. ;)
    My Kindle email adress is: InkMonster@kindle.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, I liked your FB and already signed up for your newsletter. I leave a review for all books I read and I pinky swear will do the same for your book.
    My kindle address is poalapatz@kindle.com. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I subscribed to your newsletter and I will leave a review if I win. My address is vickikondovski@kindle.com.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had already signed up for your news letter so I hopped over to like your Facebook page. I totally Pinky swear that I'll leave a review on Amazon if I win, on my blog good reads, twitter, and Pinterest too! If I win my kindle address is aurora_batty@kindle.com.

    I might have over looked it but, for us kindle folk we will need to add your book sending address to our safe list and I didn't notice it here.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Already subscribed to your newsletter, followed your Facebook page 😊 Pinky swear to leave reviews too!😊
    If I win I will have to add an email to my Kindle so you can send them.My Kindle email address is: angshad1967_70@kindle.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. both desitheblonde@msn.com and i like the book cover wow

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow. Very powerful story. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Already subscribed to newsletter and liked your fb page.
    Pinky swear to leave a review.
    DolphinBaby1369@kindle.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Already was subscribed to newsletter and I liked your FB page.My kindle email is: ssommer_35@kindle.com I do pinky swear and my reg email is: ssommer@npgcable.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Subscribed and liked FB page. Would love to read any of your books. I have a degree in psychology and have always been interested in serial killers and people with personality disorders. One of the interesting books I read was Why the Mind is Designed to Kill.

    My kindle address is sonnetta_jones_56@kindle.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. And the winner of the e-copies of RACE THE DARKNESS and HUNT THE DAWN is...

    Drumroll...

    Nessie!

    Congratulations!

    I'll be in touch shortly!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for this wonderful post. This is something that is interesting to know about. Keep sharing your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog. I agree that this profession teaches many things to us because I'm also work as mental health therapist California. People think that this is such an easy profession and it is easy to deal with persons who have mental health issues but that's not true it is such a difficult job to do. We have to deal with criminals, dangerous persons in this so it is a tough job to do.

    ReplyDelete

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