Brain Fame
I received my doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University in December of 1989 and I was licensed by the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists in January of 1991. My internship was completed at Children’s Medical Center in Tulsa, OK. I began working at Lloyd E. Rader Juvenile Delinquent Treatment Center in Sand Springs, OK in the summer 1989 and moved to a private practice in Poteau, OK in the summer of 1991.
Shortly after my licensure in January 1991 I found out I was pregnant. The prospect of Motherhood challenged my professional priorities, but I chose to continue working believing I could juggle both. In March of 1991 my husband was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer which added a significant challenge to my professional life and prospective motherhood. In May of 1991 my husband underwent two surgeries at MD Anderson in Houston, TX to remove his cancerous thyroid. In August 1991 I became a mom and felt the pull to stay home, but I chose to hire a nanny and forge ahead in a new practice with my husband at EOHCC in Poteau, OK. Not knowing what the future held reinforced my decision to practice as I considered the possibility that at some point I might need to be the financial provider for our family if my husband’s cancer became debilitating or even fatal.
Over that first year of motherhood I discovered that my split focus between motherhood and practice was rather stressful and the pull to stay home with my son was still present. But the deciding factor started when my one year old son fell and hurt himself while I was home for lunch. He turned to the nanny for comfort instead of me which highlighted my absence in his life. During the course of the next year my husband's health was stable and we were fortunate to have the means through his steady income to allow me the choice to do what I felt was best for our family. Believing my role as mother to be crucial in our children’s lives, I resigned from my practice just a few months before the birth of our second son in 1993, beginning my new career as a stay-at-home mom.
I maintained my license through Continuing Education requirements until 1997 at which time I realized I would not be returning to the practice of Psychology until my sons were grown. In January of 1997 I voluntarily placed my license on inactive with the goal of reactivating my license after my sons were out of high school. True to my goals in 1997, I reactivated my license to practice psychology in 2012 as my youngest completed high school.
During my absence from professional life I stayed active with my family, in my community, and my church. I participated in the worldwide Bible study program known as Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), home-schooled both my sons for five years (K through 4th for my oldest and K through 2nd for my youngest), substitute taught, led Bible Study groups in my home, and facilitated discussion for video Bible series such as Beth Moore’s Bible Studies, volunteered in several capacities at my church, managed the website for a local non-profit ministry, and as a "therapeutic" hobby, became a furniture carpenter for private collectors.
During my professional leave-of-absence my passion never waned for facilitating healing and wholeness psychologically and emotional. In fact, my life experience matured me and my skills!
I hung out my shingle in January 2013 and thus began my latest adventure in private practice. Five years into this chapter, however, my husband passed away from the devastating damage of the cancer diagnosed back in 1991. He was my hero in so many ways, and still is. My own health journey took a turn the year after he passed, and my diagnosis was Parkinson’s Disease.
Decisions are hard when they impact other people, but ultimately we are responsible for ourselves. Thus my last day of practice will be December 22, 2023, just shy of 11 years in this latest practice. Journeying with my clients through their adventures in life, birth of their children, marriage, divorce, death, planet life struggles of all kinds, has been an honor of the highest calling. While my decision to retire is ultimately based on my increasing physical limitations, I am also mindful that I cannot offer my best skills due to my progressing disease.
I still have a passion for healing, so check back periodically as I blog about my practice discoveries under the title: