I’m an authority on…

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

Lived experiences with various mental health challenges, lived experiences with generational trauma from abuse and poverty. I have authority on being diagnosed with autism by a specialist at 20 and living life under that lable only to be told by my last therapist who is also a specialist that she doesn’t feel that diagnosis fits but that trauma mimicking the symptoms does.

And I have authority on going through a variety of life situations throughout the lifespan from young child until 30 including school life as a survivor of bullying every year, college life, being the oldest sibling and child of people with addiction issues, being a foster child and getting adopted as a late teen, my own struggles with alcohol, being taken advantage of by adults in person and on the internet, being an intern at human service, foster care advocacy, and public health agencies both as a social work student and just a lucky young adult who was chosen by the foster care advocacy organization.

I am an authority on living life as a person who is LGBTQ+ with disabilities, and mental health issues, who has been affected by the issues targeting asexual, pan-romantic, non binary, human beings who were born female and who have spent most of their life trying to figure out who they are.

There are just so many other experiences I’ve gone through and have helped give me insight. I would say that I am an authority on my unique life experiences and how I got through them to get to the point in my life that I am at now. Plus, I have 2 associates degrees in human services and chemical dependency and a bachelor’s in social work. I still have to get my master’s, which, as of right now, will be in public policy.

I also have experience in food service and experience quitting a food service job to protect my mental health at a time I was going through a breakdown. So I definitely have a great deal of life experience that makes me an unofficial authority on several complex issues.