Seleni Spotlight: Evelyn Page, LCSW

October 2019 - This month, we are excited to welcome Ms. Evelyn Page as the newest member to our clinical team. She is an experienced therapist working with people who are navigating the complexities of building a family. She also provides support around third party reproduction and adoption. Please read below to learn more about her background and experience.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I have been working in the mental health field for the past 10 years. I have worked extensively with women and children who have experienced interpersonal trauma. In particular, I have been especially interested in working with the Latinx community. As a native speaker, I wanted to be able to provide needed services to this community, which often does not have the same access to quality mental health care.

What motivates you to work in this field?
The area of perinatal mental health can be so stigmatized, and I want to do my part in breaking down the barriers that people encounter when faced with these issues. Having gone through my own challenges in building my family, I was inspired to work in the area of perinatal mental health. It is important to me to give back in some way to help others going through similar experiences. I feel it is such an honor to walk with people through some of the most difficult times in their lives. It is a special kind of relationship that develops in therapy, to be able to witness the strength and courage it takes to face challenges and move through them, to find a new normal. Being there through the journey and seeing people discover their authentic self inspires me to keep doing this work.

What excites you most about being part of the Seleni family?
I am very excited to be a part of the Seleni team. I love that Seleni addresses the entire continuum of issues that can arise during of the family building stage of life. At Seleni, individuals and families can access services at one point during their journey of building their families, but then also address needs along the entire spectrum, whether that is for fertility struggles, PMADs, grief and loss, or the transition to balancing parenthood, work life, and one’s individuality. It is wonderful that all these services can be found in one place. As a clinician, it is wonderful to be part of a team that also supports professional development so that we can provide the best services to the people who need our support.

What is your favorite podcast, movie, book, or magazine, related to the field of mental health?
This is not directly related to the mental health field, but I have recently been enjoying Marie Forleo’s podcast. She has very inspiring messages and I have found her to be very motivating in all aspects of my life.

Working in mental health care can be very emotionally tiring. How do you practice self-care?
It is a continual practice to balance work and self-care. For me, I enjoy doing something meditative, but not in the typical sense of meditation that many people think of. I have enjoyed crocheting for years and the repetitive, meditative quality that comes from creating something from a crochet hook and yarn is soothing to me. I’ve created different types of projects (blankets, shawls, clothing, etc) depending on the mood I’m in that helps me connect with myself and really be in tune with my feelings. And in the end, I have a beautiful creation that is meaningful to me and reminders of what I have overcome.

What is your favorite thing to do to wind down the day?
Cooking is one of my favorite things to do at the end of the day. I enjoy the creative aspects of putting together a meal, whether it is simple or one that takes hours to prepare. Enjoying a comforting, nourishing meal with the people who are important to me is so satisfying.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be great.” It is safe to say that we probably won’t get to a point in life where everything is absolutely perfect. When we focus on the ideal or some far off goal we have for ourselves, we can easily miss some pretty important things that happen along the way. Try to enjoy the journey because that, in an of itself, can be pretty amazing.

What quote inspires you?
Picking just one quote is difficult for me as there are many that have a lot of significance to me. But one that has stuck with me for a while is “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible” by Christopher Reeve.

Hope is very important to me. Our lives do not always go as planned and it is easy to lose hope along the way. But when you have hope, when you can let that little bit of light shine in, it can be the beginning of another amazing journey. It may not be what we originally envisioned, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be wonderful too.

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For more information about Evelyn Page, click here.