Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joelisse Galarza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joelisse, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?
In 2019, I was attending Columbia University in the City of New York as a Masters student of Social Work specifically focusing on children, youth and families. Coming from San Antonio, TX, I wanted to see other states and how they implemented Social Work support in schools, specifically in New York. I was working at my field internship for the Children’s Aid Society in Washington Heights within a charter middle school/high school Salome Ureña.
Specifically in graduate programs and college in general, there are a variety of pressures in securing a job before graduation or by graduation to be deemed successful. That felt to be true at Columbia, specifically in the field of Social Work. I was feeling the pressure of trying to find a job and truly deciding to stay in New York or return home. Within this field, post masters to secure a decent paying job, you have to attain your masters of social work licensure, whether you test before graduation or after graduation. Most jobs require this and may give a probation period or may not. I felt pressure to move back home to San Antonio, TX, specifically because as a graduate student from another state, I did not know how I would make New York a livable lifestyle as a new graduate without a paying job and minimal money saved.
My ultimate goals and aspirations at the time were to be able to provide students access to increased Mental Health and Social Work services within the school setting, I knew it needed to be done. I decided to start researching jobs and companies in Social Work, back in 2019, when I was searching for school based Social Work jobs, many required previous classroom experience or previous social work experience post masters and I had neither of those things. I decided to apply to IDEA Public Schools for a 5th grade English Language Arts position since I had my teaching certification from my Bachelors degree. Upon the interview in February of 2019, I had gone through an initial phone interview with a recruiter and then had been matched to a school to schedule a virtual interview through zoom. In my campus interview, I had about 6 people in it, from the principals to assistant principals and some other members. I was providing Social Work related answers because that is where my mindset was at the time. I had researched the school, their campus academic data and had prepped questions. I am a firm believer in also interviewing the company as well. I had left the interview feeling uneasy in some ways due to feeling like I may not have given my best self, my inner critic was coming out. Two days had passed and the campus principal reached out to me that they had wanted to offer me the job of Social Worker instead as they had received approval to have a campus social worker for the first time, I was ELATED!
As I accepted the role, I started to feel various feelings of imposter syndrome. I was a new graduate, starting a program for a school within a district where Mental Health, Social Emotional learning and Social Workers were very much new. Going into my first year, there were a lot of trials and errors within the role. For anyone questioning their abilities in starting a new role, I would say, give yourself grace and know learning comes along the way, you cannot put the expectation on yourself that you should know everything going into a new environment.
Four years later and two promotions in, I am still within the same organization on the National Team focusing primarily on family engagement across our district in a non traditional Social Work role. My first job position set me up for success to continue to grow as a leader and have influence within an organization, had I said no, I would have never known the opportunities I have been able to attain thus far. I would advise anyone to take a chance on themselves when opportunities present themselves.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Joelisse Galarza, a 27 year old unapologetically Latina woman, my roots being in Puerto Rico. Part of my identity is being a Social Worker & Therapist that works in the educational system to continue to remove barriers for families and students to be able to increase their trajectory to go to college. As a therapist, I work for The Purple Couch as the Director of Training and Development along with providing therapy to clients.
Getting into the world of social work requires passion, heart and grit. We are often seen as a profession that does not have much elevation or opportunities for growth. What I have learned over these last 6 years within the profession is that there are so many unlimited opportunities within this work. I started in this profession off of a mindset I had that I felt students and families needed more within the educational system, more support, resources and human connection.
Working for The Purple Couch part-time, I provide individual counseling and family counseling to individuals in the state of Texas. As Director of Training and Development, we train and provide continuing education to other therapists within the state as well as surrounding communities.
What sets me apart is, I am someone who looks to ensure the therapeutic journey for my clients is comfortable and genuine. I want to ensure clients feel that they are being heard, listened to, seen and that they feel growth as they navigate their life journey. To be able to have clients feel heard and seen, I look to ensure i am utilizing cultural humility and an anti-racist framework by continuing to educate myself on various cultures along with their practices while reflecting and checking my own bias. I want future clients and any individual reflecting on starting therapy, its okay to ask for consults, ask therapists questions and seek the RIGHT person for you that feels good and comfortable. Do not feel forced to stay with a therapist if you do not feel 100% confident with them in helping you on your journey.
I am most proud of my growth within this field, I never imagined myself being exactly where I am in my career through promotions, two jobs and the influence I have had within the field. I want individuals to know that when your inner critic tells you that you may not be able to do this work, take a risk on yourself and know that anything is possible. The field of Social Work is so broad, do research and see what best suits you and aligns to your aspirations.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
In my fourth year of college, I felt that education was my passion but teaching may not have been the true passion that I felt was best for me. I went straight into my masters degree and decided Social Work was for me. I genuinely had to research Social Work to understand the true components and avenues of the profession than what is portrayed in mainstream media or what is talked about throughout society.
Being where I am in Social Work, I have no regrets and would do this journey over again. Within the field, there is money to be made and success to be attained, I would encourage anyone who is thinking about this field to do research, connect with individuals and see what would best work for you.
Ultimately, being in the educational system and a therapist within the community, I find fulfillment in being able to be a support for individuals who may not have that within their lives. I thrive off of human connection and knowing that people feel comfortable when going through or starting therapy. My aspiration is to continue creating opportunities for therapist development as well as continued opportunities for clients to connect to therapeutic services that feel like the best fit for them.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Going into the Social Work career, I felt I had to say yes to everyone and everything as it related to helping people. A lot of unlearning was due to the cultural normalities of not talking back or causing conflict, ensuring respect. I felt that if I did not say yes to everything, it would be seen as disrespectful or not being a team player. That often left me feeling burnt out and unsuccessful within the field. My advice to anyone going into the field is to be okay with having crucial conversations and setting boundaries within your role to avoid burnout, imposter syndrome and feeling unsuccessful. It is okay to look to have conversations with managers surrounding how you feel and what you need to come to a space that makes you feel you have work life balance and job satisfaction.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://purplecouchcounseling.org/
- Instagram: @thelatinaadvocate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joelisse.galarza
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelisse-galarza-lmsw-374413151/
Image Credits
@shawnshootsraw on instagram