Raylene Vassau Email & Phone Number

There comes a point in life when one finds the unique passion that will lead them to become part of the change they wish to see in the world. My passion is helping others and understanding the human mind. My personal struggles with mental health along with the suffering I have witnessed in others, started my enthusiastic drive to dedicate my life to a career in mental health. I witnessed every aspect of human suffering from mental illness while working at a crisis facility. I have seen the worst of what psychosis can do to a person and learned how to work with numerous populations and a multitude of disorders. Yet, I absolutely loved what I was doing and knew that this would be the correct path for me.I graduated the University of Montana with my bachelors in Psychology in May of 2022 with honors. I have seen been accepted into the Masters of Mental Health Counseling and Rehabilitation at Montana State University Billings. I am also now working as an ACLC for Stepping Stones Counseling in Missoula. I am currently earning hours to meet the requirement to test for my LAC and will be continuing to work while attending grad school. I am very excited to see what career paths are ahead of me! I enjoy learning everyday, even if the topics are heavy, intricate and often humbling. Later on in my career, I would like to specialize in schizophrenia and its impact on addiction. I would also love to open more mental health/rehabilitation facilities and behavioral mental health group homes. I loved my time working at a mental health focused group home environment. I believe that long term monitoring provided in group home settings is invaluable in developing stronger and long term stabilization for patients who often struggle with housing or consistent treatment. Particular I would love to do this in more rural areas of Montana. I grew up in a rural area with little to no mental health services, I knew so many people growing up (myself included), who would have had substantially different life outcomes had there been services available to them. I want to provide the things I wish I had when my own mental health was at its worst. I know that this career path aligns with my deepest values and gives me purpose in life therefore I will happily work toward bettering the world diligently with the talents and skills I have been given and will continue to grow.