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Anastasia Clarke

Alumni Profile: Anastasia Clarke Currently, a training coordinator at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services. Education experience: 2018, B.A. in psychology. 2019, professional assault response training. 2022, certified trainer in de-escalating potentially violent situations. 2024, mental health first aid. Career timeline: 2019, case aide for an ongoing child protection unit with child and family programs. 2019-2022, income assistance worker. 2022-current, a training coordinator. What made you choose this path? I've experienced a lot of individuals in my life struggling with mental health conditions, in addition to myself, and part of why I originally went into this career was to learn how to help those around me. Since I've gained my degree and started working, I've learned that while I can't fix everyone around me, I enjoy learning how interactions in our environment and our genetics create individual personalities. Do you have advice for students interested in pursuing a similar path? I think my biggest piece of advice would not get too stuck in what you think you should be doing. I went into psychology thinking I'd go on to get my master's or PhD and be a registered psychologist. While that might still be something I do in the future, I've found that keeping myself open to opportunities and allowing my career to flow naturally has been extremely rewarding! What has been the biggest challenge on your career path so far, and how have you navigated it? Truthfully, as mentioned I have my own mental health conditions, and I struggle a lot with imposter syndrome. In the past, I tried to simply "power through" which not so shockingly did not work. I've taken the time to prioritize my mental health by seeing a therapist myself, taking medications, and being honest about my struggles and I've been doing so much better. It's still a life-long thing I have to manage, but it's getting better every day! For my imposter syndrome, I've found that keeping track of accomplishments and positive feedback, whether big or small, gives me something to look back at when those little voices in my head start getting a little too loud. What has been the biggest joy on your career path so far? The biggest joy, and frustration at times, has definitely been the people! I love getting to work one-on-one with people, and in my current role as a Training Coordinator, I get to interact with so many different types of people who all have different styles of thinking and learning. It's been fabulous to be able to continue learning alongside them as I teach them skills to use in their careers going forward.

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