We tell our children about the Invisible String that connects us, when we say “goodbye” at drop-off or when “mommy has to go to work.” It is a wonderful idea, and it brings comfort in moments of anxiety or loneliness. What I did not realize until recently is how durable and timeless that Invisible String can be. The Invisible String between Cheerful Helpers and myself
has stretched over miles and years, and it has amazingly never come undone.
I trained at Cheerful Helpers in 2018 as the Everyday Assistant in Rebeca’s classroom. At the time, I was gaining hours to complete my Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program to pursue child psychology. I only spent one year at Cheerful Helpers, yet the invaluable training and experience that I received indubitably contributed to both my professional and personal development. In the years following Cheerful Helpers, I trained at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), New York University (NYU) Langone, and Children’s Hospital of Orange
County (CHOC), never forgetting the lessons I learned in the classroom – lessons one cannot obtain from a textbook or academic research.
Eight years later, I am a full-fledged pediatric neuropsychologist walking through the gate at the new location of Cheerful Helpers, amazed to see friendly faces and excited to see new faces. I am incredibly grateful for not only my training but also the personal growth that Cheerful Helpers bestowed upon me. As a neuropsychologist, my job is to evaluate the various domains of functioning for children (e.g., cognitive, social, emotional), revealing areas of strength and vulnerability to inform the most beneficial and tailored treatment plan for both the children and their families.
A neuropsychological evaluation always begins with trust. When children do not trust the evaluator, they are unable to show their full potential, ultimately resulting in underestimations of their abilities. When parents do not trust the evaluation process, recommendations fall to the wayside and the ultimate goal of helping the child succeed is not accomplished. Fostering this trust is not always easy, and I am incredibly fortunate for my time at Cheerful Helpers, which instilled essential skills and learning that have made me a stronger and more competent clinician.
I frequently speak to the children and families I work with about the importance of consistency for a child who is seeking reassurance and safety in (sometimes) a very scary world. Validation of one’s feelings and experiences works wonders for both children AND adults. These are only some of the lessons that I attribute to my time at Cheerful Helpers, and I have proudly carried them with me for the past eight years, confident in knowing that they will continue to benefit myself and the population that I serve for years to come.
The depth of my appreciation and gratitude towards Cheerful Helpers is directly proportional to my Invisible String, which remarkably has only gotten that much stronger, that much more meaningful, and that much more powerful over time.
