It means a lot. I think it’s an opportunity for me to use my skills and my knowledge from my years of schooling, but I get to connect with people on an individual level on a daily basis, and really have the honor of [their] telling me their struggles, working through that with them, and giving them the skills to be their own therapist in the future so they don’t need to come back. It’s also really important to me to have work/life balance, because I do have two little kids, and the work I do gives me the ability to be home with them when I need to, and work when I want to.
Lauren Grover was born in1984, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and grew up in Holden, Massachusetts. At the time of the interview, she had been married for five years and had two children. In 2003 she attended Assumption College to pursue a major in Psychology and a minor in Social Rehabilitation Services. During her time at Assumption she volunteered at the Reach Out Center, which helped her to choose which career path she wanted to pursue. Lauren also did internships during the summer, which allowed her to learn important lessons that she could apply to her career. These internships also led to a job right out of college in one of the agencies where she had interned. After attending Assumption she went to Boston College and earned her Master of Social Work. Lauren is a mental health and substance abuse clinician. Every day she helps people solve difficult situations in their lives, giving them the ability to be their own therapists so they can solve their life problems on their own, without needing her services. Because she is her own boss, she is able to be flexible with her working hours to make time to be a mother and a wife while having a successful career that she enjoys.