Savannah O’Berry, M.S., A.L.C.
Mother, wife, daughter, life-long learner, helper. I live in lower Alabama and love the city that my family and I call home. Its rich history and culture have molded me into the person I am today.
Purpose
Along the lines of thriving and inner peace, making time for self-care routines each day is the only way to maintain balance and avoid burnout. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be easy to get burned out and forget to allow yourself to recharge, but this blog is a space to find solutions to this challenge.
I want to offer helpful hints from my own experience and professional training that can make it easier to meet the demands of life while taking time to enjoy the little things and staying refreshed mentally, physically, and spiritually. As we are all works in progress, I hope to share my light with others and help anyone that I can through my words.
Professional Life
After graduating with my Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling nearly three years ago, I have worked in the field as a therapist to children going through crisis in an acute inpatient setting and now work in two elementary schools as a resource to students who may need more individual or intensive care than the guidance counselor is able to provide.
In the winter of 2020, I decided to switch my position within the company for whom I work from acute hospital therapist to school-based therapist to gain more work/life balance and spend more time at home with my family. I am also currently in supervision for my LPC in the state of Alabama and taking courses toward a Post-Masters Certificate in Child and Adolescent Therapy.
I found my passion when working with children in the acute setting. Children have insights and ways of thinking that are so different than adults. This curiosity and outlook is something I strive to appreciate every day not only in my interactions with children at my schools but also at home with my two boys.
I have also been trained in how to help other age groups and want this to be a place of unconditional positivity, learning, and growth for anyone who happens to stop by and read my words. I want to use this medium to offer insights and encouragement to others while helping to encourage inner-strength, mental wellness, and finding ways to enjoy the little things even in the midst of the chaos life brings.
Finding your passion is a big part of living a healthy and fulfilled life. I am fortunate enough to have a family and husband who support me in my creativity and encourage my growth as an individual in my personal and professional lives. A growth mindset is something that I believe in and encourage with all my clients and their families. This concept is one that can be adopted by anyone regardless of race, culture, or creed. In life and our society today, it is important to adapt to changes without losing who you are in the process.
Faith plays a big part in my life, I am Catholic, and my father is a deacon in our church, and my faith helps me to rely on the fact that a higher power is there to help me when I feel desolate or discouraged. Spiritually is a very individualized experience and can help bring you through hard times just by clinging to the fact that there is something greater than just existing. The other aspects of my faith that impact me the most are the teachings about loving others and forgiveness.
Forgiveness does not mean to wipe the slate clean and allow oneself to go back to an unsafe or unhealthy situation, but it can allow for the person doing the forgiving to find peace through emotional and mental health and wellness.
Personal Life
My father was an officer in the Marine Corps for most of my childhood which led to my having to move and make new friends frequently during my early years. We settled here Mobile, AL after he retired when I was in middle school and have all lived here ever sense. My grandparents were getting older and we came back to my father’s childhood city to be with them. My grandmother was a great example of helping and showing love through service. She was the primary caregiver to my grandfather when he was suffering from Alzheimer’s.
My mother is a self-made Puerto Rican who can see what she wants and go for it without letting anything stand in her way. She is passionate about her family and creating a life for me and her grandchildren to prosper within. My parents have been married for 34 years and are still able to support each other with love and compassion. This relationship is one that my husband and I look toward for inspiration as we continue to grow together as a young couple.
We have been married almost four years and been together for almost eight years. He was my college sweetheart and I don’t know where either of us would be now if we had not found each other.
My husband is finishing his Masters Degree in Literature this year and will be a professor at our alma mater starting in the fall of 2021. He and I have created a balance which allows us each to pursue our passions and support each other along the way.
When I was in school, he supported me by working and taking care of our first baby. Since he has been in school, I have been working and taking care of both of our little boys.
My two little boys are three and eighteen-months and full of energy and love. They add so much to our world. It is as if our life was in black and white before they came along and now, we see every shade of the rainbow. Playing with them and encouraging their development through crafts, reading, and imaginary play bring me so much joy. I am a firm believer in the combined impact of nature and nurture on children and within my own family I do my best to foster an accepting, loving, and nurturing space for my children to thrive.
