Let’s get to know Teresa Violette, mentor at CatholicPsych Institute and co-creator of Catholic Mindfulness for students!
On Monday, my team and I re-launched our unique program Catholic Mindfulness for Students, so I thought it would be a good time to introduce everyone to the talented woman who helped make this program a reality!
Teresa Violette is one of our therapists at the CatholicPsych Institute and is a certified specialist in Catholic Mindfulness for schools. Her areas of expertise include parenting consultations and play therapy, adolescent and child issues, and family therapy.
A couple years ago, Teresa took me up on the challenge to get a little more exposure and put herself out there with videos and training so that others could benefit from her genius. And it’s because of Teresa’s dedication that we’ve been able to create the Catholic Mindfulness for Students program.
Let’s get to know Teresa a little better…
Tell us about a bit about yourself Teresa.
I grew up in Tempe, Arizona (where most of my family still lives) but I currently live right outside of Hartford, Connecticut with my husband of 8 years and our almost-two-year-old son. We also have two crazy (and stinky) English bulldogs.
What first attracted you to the counseling profession?
Weirdly enough, I knew I wanted to be a counselor since high school.
Through various experiences, I realized I loved trying to understand people: what motivated them, what challenged them, what inspired them, what led them to persevere and overcome incredibly painful obstacles.
I came to believe that the most painful thing a person could ever experience was relational-emotional pain: un-love and loneliness.
I had a profound conversion and fell in love with the Lord during high school as well, and I started to see how impossible it was to endure suffering outside of a relationship with Him.
In all the moments of un-love, loneliness, and pain I may have felt, it became so clear that the Lord was the love, the friendship, the healthiness that I needed. And I felt that if I needed it, then the world must need it too. After that, there was no other profession for me.
What do you enjoy most about your work as a therapist?
I love seeing the healing that takes place! I love that moment when the person I am working with feels a renewed love for themselves and life. It’s that moment when all they’ve been working on finally clicks, and they begin to feel hopeful, grateful, peaceful, joyful, and loved.
What drew you to your specialty area?
Divine intervention! Over the past ten years, no matter where I’ve worked, I’ve always worked with children (all ages, all issues, all levels of severity, in various settings). What I noticed during my work in all of these settings was that there was a radical difference in recovery time for the child when parents were involved in the child’s treatment.
Children seemed to get better faster when parents take on the therapeutic role.
For this reason, I have fallen in love with working with parents to help them learn what I would do in a play therapy room. And the results are incredible! I feel so grateful to be able to serve the families that come to CPI looking for this kind of help.
And what do you like to do for fun?
I love to play volleyball! (But haven’t been able to since COVID happened.) Now, I enjoy walking around the neighborhood with my son in the mornings, and visiting with family nearby.
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We’re so excited to be partnered with all the schools who are implementing Catholic Mindfulness for Students into their curriculum this school year.
But what’s even more exciting is that we’re partnering with parents to help them bring peace into their families as well!
When the pandemic happened and everyone was suddenly-schooling-at-home, we realized parents needed to be able to use this as well, so we adjusted the curriculum and offered the program to parents for at-home use!
For more information or to purchase, visit: Catholic Mindfulness for Students
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