Q: How long have you been an Ukeru trainer?

A: I have been an Ukeru Trainer for 1 year!

Q: What population do you work with? What inspired you to get into this field? 

A: I work at a public school district serving students preK-6th grade. I have wanted to work in education ever since 5th grade. School has always been such a positive place for me. My own experiences, combined with my desire to help others, I found the field of school psychology. I am passionate about schools having access to quality mental health services, as needs continue to rise. While the reasons we choose the field of education is important, each child I meet has a story too. Through my work as I continue on, I find more reasons and more stories as to why I continue to choose this path in education. 

Q: What part of Ukeru do you enjoy teaching the most and why?  

A: I enjoy teaching about the brain the most. Given that I am a school psychologist, true brain science is always something that has interested me. I have a stuffed amygdala in my office, and I enjoy hearing people accurately talk about different parts of the brain (including calming the amygdala) after this training!

Q: What would you say to someone who is unsure about using Ukeru? 

A: I would say that skeptical inquiry allows for constant discovery! Use your curiosity to try something new!

Q: What advice or tip would you give to a new Ukeru trainer? 

A: Be available to others and lead by example in how you handle situations. 

Q: How has Ukeru impacted your life? 

A: I have become a more confident person in regards to responding to behaviors. I feel safer, which allows me to more effectively help someone else feel safer (in essence, doing our #1 job of calming the amygdala!)

Q: What is your favorite quote or a motto that you like to live by? 

A: “People are just as beautiful as sunsets if you let them be. I don’t say to a sunset, ‘Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.’ I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch in awe as it unfolds.” – Carl Rogers

Q: What three words would you use to describe Ukeru?

A: Life-changing, Innovative, Necessary