by Carol Miles, President | EMDRIA
In the spirit of this quarter’s Go With That magazine theme, I thought that the people on our board might have some good childhood stories, so I asked them to tell me a little about their youth. Interestingly, these stories really ring a bell in the adults we now know! I hope these stories help you get to know our board a little better as people as well as help you get ready to read this kid-focused issue of our magazine.
Wendy Byrd, LPC, LMFT
I grew up on the coast of Texas, loving to run barefoot on the beach. As a result, I hated wearing shoes other places. I refused to put my shoes on, to the utter frustration of my mom. I still love the smell of the ocean and the feel of sand between my toes. Even now I rebel against wearing shoes!
Candida Condor, Psy.D.
As a girl, I was fond of the Mickey Mouse Club TV show, and especially enjoyed watching Darlene’s introduction to being an air hostess. Years later, I followed Darlene’s footsteps on to a Pan Am 747 wearing that blue uniform and jaunty hat!
Marisol Erlacher, LPC
When I was in Middle School, I was certain I wanted to be a Peace Corp volunteer. I wanted to work in Swaziland (currently eSwatini) to easily get to South Africa to work toward the end of apartheid.
Kriss Jarecki, LDCSW-R
In 8th grade I sat in front of my caseworker at the commission for the blind, a very nice man but a bit lazy with crumbs in his beard. I told him I wanted to be a social worker. He said, “great because I want to retire from social work.” I still wonder if he decided to retire after an hour with me!
Lori Kucharski, LMFT, LPC
I loved playing school long before I ever considered becoming a therapist, so it is not surprising that I ended up in some form of education (Counselor Education and Supervision and EMDR Training) after all. Carol Miles LCSW I was painfully shy as a child, “slow to warm up”. Changing schools frequently (12 schools in 12 years) may have helped but I still often take some time to feel accepted in new situations.
Mark Nickerson, LICSW
When I was a kid, I learned that if I wanted to play baseball in the neighborhood, I had to go door to door to get kids to come out. Then I had to make sure everyone had fun so they’d play the next day.
Mischa Cohen Peck, MA, MSW, PhD
I’m a second-generation survivor of the Nazi Holocaust. My father was born in Belgium. Because of his life experience, and emotional characteristics of his survival, it was determined epigenetically that I would be a therapist (see the research of Rachel Yehuda).
Sharon Rollins, MS-LPC, NCC
I was the Quarterback for the family football team. I threw passes to my three brothers which rivaled those of the Dallas Cowboy’s superstar, Roger Staubach.
Evelyn Wright, LCSW
My childhood was a VERY long time ago…I’m truly the American multicultural living experience of the “Heinz 57” variety with about 7 ethnicities in my family background.
I hope this trip down memory lane with our board was fun for you and that you learned a little bit about each of us! We work for you. Thanks for allowing us to be in this role. -CM