Marriage and Family Therapist In Sacramento Used Volunteer Work To Fine Tune Her Career

Danae Azevedo has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Davis and will be receiving her Master's of Science in Counselor Education with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Sacramento in May 2014. She is currently a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at WEAVE, Inc. in Sacramento, CA. WEAVE is a non-profit organization that helps women and men who have experienced domestic violence or have been sexually assaulted.

How did you get into your line of work?

"It kind of just happened. Fate you would say. I entered school as a neurobiology major and graduated with a psychology degree. There aren't many professional opportunities for graduates with a psychology degree so I took a year off, got an internship as a child and family advocate at a local elementary school and applied for graduate school. Now I have the opportunity to really help people and I love what I do."

If there aren't many opportunities for new graduates, what is your advice to those looking to enter your field?

"My advice to others that would like to pursue a degree in psychology, counseling or any of the helping professions would be to volunteer. You can never have too much volunteer experience and our community would benefit greatly from it. Also, don't hold yourself back or think you are not worthy of higher communication. Anyone can make it, as long as you have a dream and the motivation to get there."

How has a degree (or certification) helped you professionally?

"My bachelor's degree wasn't showing to be effective in my professional life, however, now that I am receiving my Master's degree, I am being recognized by many agencies for hire. It definitely makes your resume shine. Having a degree is helpful in getting into a profession that you truly admire or aspire to have, but it is also helpful in raising your self-esteem and self-worth. I would recommend that everyone reach for their goals, whether or not it includes higher education."

Megan Bowyer is a freelance writer in search of the best food and drinks that Sacramento has to offer. You can find her at any number of dive bars or trendy restaurants; just look for the short blonde feeding the jukebox. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.