It was early in my career when I first saw the ups and downs of teen relationships. I saw kids experience things that no one ever should, let alone people far too young to truly understand the impacts of what they were going through. Seeing IPV manifest in youth was eye-opening and heartbreaking, but I realized it often stemmed from misguided ideas of what a healthy relationship looks like. This propelled my interest in educating youth on healthy relationship habits. I've seen this education inspire youth to realize the healthy relationships they deserve and understand the harmful impact of unhealthy habits.

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Working with pregnant and parenting teens I saw similar things with added challenges often exacerbated by TDV. Unfortunately, most professional and academic effort involving pregnant and parenting teens is focused on prevention rather than intervention and support. Recognizing this gap, I created the SENSA model to support school social workers in providing clinical support, advocacy, and resources to pregnant and parenting teens. 

 

​Seeing the impact that dating violence can have on the lives of teens has inspired my continued commitment to TDV prevention and intervention. Through Village of the Heart I am expanding those efforts by sharing information, resources, and interventions with school social workers on a larger scale. My ultimate goal is for teens to be so supported by the members of their village that they are protected from experiencing the harms of relationship violence. Love should never hurt.