Helping children in need

Gabby Britt to work as therapist after graduating with master’s degree in social work

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 10^th, 2022

For over 20 years, California State University, Bakersfield student Gabby Britt has been helping children struggling with mental health issues through her work as a recovery specialist with Kern Behavioral Health and Human Services. Now she will be able to support them in a new way.

Britt, a Shafter native and mother of two, is graduating from CSUB this month with her master’s degree in social work. Once she obtains her degree, she expects to be officially promoted to being a therapist at the agency.

“I’m elated and so excited. I just cannot wait,” Britt said about graduating. “I’m proud of myself for getting through an absolutely insane three years.”

Britt said her new position will allow her to have more of a direct impact on clients and implement treatment plans that will address the root causes of their behavioral issues.

“I love working with kids and their families. I get a true sense of fulfillment and success working with them,” she said.

As a recovery specialist, Britt said she largely functioned as a case manager for her child clients, coordinating all their mental health services and making sure they received the resources they need. As part of her job, she worked frequently within the local elementary school system.

“I’ve enjoyed helping the students be successful in the school setting and ensuring that they meet all of their academic and behavioral goals,” she said. “We work a lot with schools to support students to make sure their attendance is good, their grades are coming up and they’re interacting appropriately with other children.”

Britt said she’s also spent a lot of time working with parents to help give them the knowledge and skills they need to better assist their children at home.

As a therapist, Britt will be able to sit down with children and their families to talk about past trauma and current behavior issues to determine which interventions will be the most helpful to them.

Britt has already assumed therapist responsibilities at the agency but said she is currently only considered a trainee until she can provide her degree upon graduation, after which she will receive the title of therapist.

While Britt said working with children with mental health problems can be challenging, seeing many of them go on to be successful in school and at home is very fulfilling.

“You are dealing with children who have experienced trauma who sometimes come from very dire situations, so it’s exhausting and emotionally draining. There are definitely days where I think ‘What am I doing?’” she said. “But working within all of that and helping these kids be successful, that is what has kept me here for so long. There are so many opportunities for success. You can see children completely turn their behavior around.”

Back in class

Britt received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pepperdine University in 1999, shortly after which she was hired by Behavioral Health and Recovery Services as a recovery specialist. It wasn’t until 2019, after her children had already become teenagers, that she decided to pursue a master’s degree at CSUB.

“I really wanted to have an opportunity to learn more skills that could help me in my job,” she said. “The social work program has been wonderful in helping me learn different treatment modalities, how to work more effectively with clients and their families and new approaches and interventions that could assist me.”

Going back to school after two decades posed a significant challenge, however. Not only did Britt go to school while working a full-time job, she also had to get reacclimated to the college experience.

“I was excited to be back in school and I was ready to learn, but it was extremely overwhelming at first, especially when you get the syllabi and you see giant assignments that are 10 to 12 pages long. I hadn’t written a paper like that in 20 years!” she said.

Britt said she enjoyed being in the social work master’s program and that it gave her a broader perspective of social work.

“It’s really opened my eyes to a lot of things in society and within our country as to how we treat human beings, what ways we can be more empathetic toward others, policy changes that could support more people within society,” she said.

Despite some struggles with managing her time, Britt said the work was worth it and that she had a great experience at CSUB. She said she has felt very supported by her professors at the university.

“This has been a very growing, wonderful experience. I feel like I have learned so much, not only academically but also growing mentally and emotionally,” she said.

Alejandro Leon, lecturer for the social work master’s program, said Britt was an excellent student in the two courses he had with her.

“I was impressed with Gabby’s values, her ethics. They align perfectly with the social work department,” he said. “She truly sees the strength, dignity and worth of the people she works with.”

With her time at CSUB nearly behind her, Britt said she feels she now has more skills in her toolbox that will help her provide better support to clients in her new position and in future endeavors.

“There are so many different opportunities with social work, and now I feel I have a really strong skillset where I can take these skills wherever I want to go,” she said.