Saundra Burleson

Student, Artist, and Writer in Asheville, North Carolina

I am 52 years young and am currently a Wake Forest University graduate student. I'm working hard to make my dream of being a mental health counselor a reality. I am interested in many counseling theories, and many areas of counseling, but specifically have a passion for Reality Therapy and am building my counseling career foundation on what I am learning at Wake Forest University. My goals for the future are to work with veterans returning home from active duty and also with people who are dealing with mental health and emotional issues related to major life changes (returning to school; changing careers; divorce; illness, etc). I am also very interested in working with college students, either in the area of health and wellness or career development; who like me, may not be of the traditional college "age" and who are in the process of working toward achieving specific career-related goals. I view counseling as a healing, collaborative process in which clients are allowed the space to access the tools within them to repair damages, overcome obstacles, and face fears. This, combined with my strong faith in the goodness of humanity helps me to provide my clients with a welcoming, confidential, and safe space where they can explore their hopes and dreams freely.

I have been blessed with an extremely compassionate and intelligent mentor who is helping me navigate my way through the stresssors of being a 52 year old counseling student/intern. I don't know where I'd be right now without him and am very grateful for his guidance and support. I also work as a Behavioral Health Technician at a psychiatric hospital on the Adolescent Unit and am learning a lot about the field of inpatient mental health care. My faith in God is strong and I strive every day to stay on this path that has been laid out before me.

My personal goals are to build a house after graduation where I can cook big meals for my family and where we can spend time together just laughing and loving each other. I would love to own a big enough piece of land to have a small farm where I could raise Alpacas and other animals that could provide wool for spinning. I would love to spend some of my days knitting and creating art from natural fibers. My children are grown and have begun their own adult lives now; but I dream about spending time making more happy memories with them.

  • Work
    • Mission Hospital
  • Education
    • B.A. in Psychology - Ashford University
    • MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling - Wake Forest University
    • Certified Nursing Assistant Certification Program - AB Tech Community College