Erica is the kind of person who is the solid foundation of her community. She’s a loving mother to her 10-year-old daughter, Gaby. She’s a loyal cousin, sister, and friend. In the last few years she has lost both of her parents and her daughter’s father, and through all of this loss, she’s remained a constant source of strength for her loved ones.

Coming off of the last few difficult years, Erica’s goal for 2018 is to eliminate negativity from her life. “My motto for the whole year is like, ‘My cup’s half full. My cup’s half full.’ Then realistically, it’s looking at my cup half full and instead of half empty, and being grateful for the blessings and things I do have. Because with a negative attitude, it just brings more and more bitterness and more problems, in my opinion.”

“Realistically I’ve been through one really, really, really, heavy life. Being that I’m like the main support for most people in my family, in my inner circle, I don’t ever have nobody for me. And so, when I really feel like it’s too much, and that’s when I reach out.” -Erica, ATC client for 16 years

Erica also wants to go back to school to finish her Associate’s degree. Once she’s done with that she has her sights set on law school, “I’ve always wanted to work in law. Always, since I was in the sixth grade.” But first, she plans to focus on finishing her current degree and being open to all the possibilities, “The first step is to accomplish those little goals. Maybe when I go to start working towards my Bachelor’s degree, something else might catch my interest…”

When At The Crossroads has the privilege to work with a client over many years, there’s a deep level of trust that can develop in the relationship. For Erica, this has meant that she’s felt able to share a side of herself that she lets almost no one else into. “It’s hard to trust somebody, and it’s hard for me to like really feel comfortable and for somebody to get to know me. I really need to talk about what’s going on and vent, and not feel like they’re going to use it against me, or judge me.” Erica has worked with Shawn, her primary counselor, for over 14 years, and Erica says that this is one of the more solid and consistent relationships in her life.

Listen as Erica describes her long-term relationship with ATC, and how it has evolved over the years.