For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the idea of helping people understand themselves and their relationships. As I was going into my sophomore year of high school, I had already begun envisioning my future career as a therapist.
It wasn’t only a passion for helping others. I hoped that one day I could walk alongside someone during one of the hardest parts of their life—being present as they found their way toward healing, began to feel more capable, and perhaps most importantly, less alone.
Because at the heart of it all, what many people are searching for is to feel heard.
I grew up in sunny Southern California, but my journey eventually brought me to Arizona when I moved here to study psychology as an undergraduate. Like many people who come to the desert for school, I expected to stay only a few years. Arizona had other plans. I quickly fell in love with the community here and with Arizona State University. I stayed to complete my master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, becoming a proud Sun Devil along the way.
During those years of training, I became fascinated by the way we influence one another: how family dynamics shape us, how patterns develop, and how healing often requires more than just one person changing. That curiosity led me into the world of family systems therapy.
After graduate school, I worked in community mental health supporting individuals and families who had experienced significant trauma. Some of the most impactful work I did during that time involved supporting families through reunification, helping parents and children rebuild trust and safety after incredibly difficult experiences. Those moments reinforced something I continue to see every day in this work: healing rarely happens in isolation. When one person is hurting, the entire system around them feels it. But when healing begins, the ripple effects can be just as powerful.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that the kind of work I felt most drawn to was the kind that happens at Anew Treatment Center. I still remember my first day—it simply felt like home. That sense of belonging and connection has allowed me to grow into my role as Clinical Program Manager, and it continues to guide the work I do each day.
One of the aspects I value most about working at Anew is that I don’t do this work alone. Every day I collaborate with an incredible team of clinicians who care deeply about the people we serve. There’s a shared sense of purpose here that makes the work incredibly meaningful. And beyond the teamwork, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is simply watching the process unfold. I watch individuals begin to believe in themselves again, I watch people who once felt disconnected start forming genuine relationships with one another, I watch families rebuild communication and trust that once felt impossible, and perhaps most importantly, I watch people realize that they are not alone in their experiences.
What we know is that healing doesn’t happen behind closed doors. It happens in relationship—with therapists, with peers, and with family members who are learning and growing alongside one another. I see it daily: people beginning to believe in themselves again, individuals who once felt disconnected forming genuine relationships, and families rebuilding communication and trust that once felt impossible. When people begin to feel understood, supported, and connected to one another, they start to believe in their ability to grow.
In many ways, healing reminds me of the growth of a flower. A flower doesn’t bloom because someone simply tells it to—it blooms when the environment around it supports growth. It needs sunlight, nourishment, and strong roots beneath the surface. People are not so different. Connection, accountability, and community create the conditions that allow people to take root and grow. When those roots strengthen, confidence grows, relationships deepen, and people begin to flourish in ways they may not have believed were possible.
This is why I’m so excited to be part of the conversations we’re having at Anew about complex psychiatric conditions, particularly through the lens of family systems and relational healing. We learn from each other, support each other, and often find strength in the shared experience of being understood.
Every day, I have the privilege of witnessing what happens when people begin to feel seen and heard within a supportive community. And when that happens, something powerful begins to shift—people start to rediscover their resilience, reconnect with those around them, and grow in ways that extend far beyond the therapy room.
I’m eager to continue engaging in these conversations with the Anew community and beyond as we share more about the work we do and why it matters so deeply.
Alyssa Poirot, LAMFT, Clinical Program Manager