I am so grateful to have received recognition of my achievements in the form of official licensure by the state of New York as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
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| BAM! |
So this is an open letter to just about everyone.
First of all, I want to thank my mother. She has always pushed me to achieve, even before I was in school. She worked so hard to make sure I had every opportunity she could afford and then some. Although she hasn't always agreed with my decisions or understood my path, I know she's always been supportive in her own way and she couldn't be more proud of me.
Second of all, I would like to thank the rest of the people I call my family, both alive and passed, all around the world. You've inspired me to pursue a career understanding how one's family influences one's path, and you've all certainly influenced mine and have allowed me to grow in the ways I had to in order to become the happy, successful person I am today.
I want to thank my fiancé for always supporting me and helping me get through the craziness that was graduate school. You've held me up when I was falling and you loved me when I struggled to love myself. It's always been your goal to help me achieve mine, and I can't thank you enough for continuing to be wonderful and someone I would be proud to call my husband.
My friends also deserve a shout-out. In big ways and small, you have all encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing. I've watched so many people grow and be influenced by the world around them and it keeps me going. It keeps me engaged. From the smallest compliment to a listening ear for my barrage of verbal craziness, you've all contributed to what is to this date the pinnacle of my professional achievements.
To my co-workers and classmates: you too deserve a thank you. From standing arm-in-arm with me through the same struggles to supporting me during hard times and making sure I was safe, you've all contributed to my success. Specifically for my classmates in graduate school, you helped me figure out how to have mature adult friendships and grow more in two years than I ever imaged I could. As graduate school came through and excavated the backyard of the perfectly buried baggage of my life, you were all there, mourning, learning, celebrating, laughing, and growing with me. Thank you for that.
Of course, my teachers, supervisors, and employers also deserve a shout-out. I want to thank every teacher I've ever had. When I look back on my life, I can pick out specific teachers and specific times when these special adults filled needs in my life that went above and beyond their duties. Teachers inspired me to learn and grow even beyond the classroom. Teachers helped me feel safe to explore the world around me. Some of those teachers saved my life when life seemed really hard. I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. My supervisors all seemed to take on the partial role of therapist, especially in my early career, and I am grateful for their hard work. My employers gave me so many great chances to grow and expand my experiences and for that I thank you as well.
Finally, I want to thank all of my clients. Perhaps you'll never read this, but I hope that you all know that you make me want to come to work every day. You help me learn new things all of the time. You bring me new challenges and I feel energized just helping you to meet those challenges yourself. I have a hard time reflecting on my clients and not loving at least one thing about them. I'm always able to identify the ways in which I've learned from each of them. You make me a better therapist every day and it's because of you that I can see myself doing this job for a long time.
As for all of the rest of you, I know you have some influence here. Take a thank you for yourself. Maybe I could have done it without you. Maybe I could have done it without anyone, but I think I vastly prefer the way it all happened - the good, the bad, the ugly, the joy, the pain, and the growth.
Thank you,
Amanda Marie Taylor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
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