Cultivating Community Connections: Veterans Mental Health Summit

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When I was searching for my maternal family, I went by the
saying, “There’s always something left to do!” Every time I thought I had exhausted all avenues and
there was literally nothing left to do, I was wrong. There was always another
stone left unturned and if I thought long and hard enough, I would discover it.
I’ve taken to using this as my motto for the paternal search as well.  For any adoptee who is searching and feeling like you’ve come to the end — you haven’t. I promise. 

Keep going!

With my maternal search, “something left to do” was limited to the search itself. With my paternal search, DNA testing has changed things.

When my mother died, taking my father’s name to her grave, my
first recourse was DNA testing at Ancestry, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage and Gedmatch. (Soon I will also test with National Geographic DNA. I just
found out about them. Supposedly they yield more international matches. We’ll
see.) All the ethnicity mix came back mostly the same in that I am 38% -40%
Greek. Some of the test say Greek and others list it as Balkan, but when you
drill down on it many of my matches come from the Peloponnese region of Greece.
My adoption file says that my father was partially Greek. The DNA tests confirm
it. That was one thing I was never lied to about. Yay for truth. People who are very knowledgeable about DNA have reviewed my tests and say
that it appears my father more than likely had one parent originating in Greece
and another from the United States. 

Although I don’t know who my natural father is yet, it brings
me comfort to know where I’m from even though I don’t know who I’m from.

With this confirmed, I have some other cool things besides searching
that are left to do. For instance, Ancestry has a new feature that creates a Spotify playlist for
you based on your DNA. I have been listening to the music of my people. It
brings me some small sense of comfort to hear the sounds of a culture I am technically part of but have never been immersed in.

I have also been researching Balkan food and exploring and
enjoying it more. (The Balkans include Greece, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey.)
My DNA results pinpoint Greece however I’ve been branching out to the Balkans
in general.

I ordered myself a gift to celebrate new year’s eve. I ordered a jar of ajvar which I am planning on enjoying with feta cheese and olives on
some crusty wheat bread. My friend Gayle who I’ve written about many times here at AR will be there with me on New Year’s Eve and I’m sure she’ll try some. And, we’ll talk about how we both believe that “this is the year.” And one year, it will be. Because I’m going to keep going. And she’s going to keep going. 

Tomorrow my husband is taking me to a Balkan restaurant
in nearby St. Petersburg. I mentioned it to him and he was really excited about
going there, so this should be an adventure. I’m hoping Gayle and her husband David will go with us. I’m particularly excited to try
their salad and whatever dish the server tells me is the most popular. Usually when I go to a new place that’s how I decide what to try.  

My husband has started researching cruises to Greece and we plan to take one in 2020. I am hopeful to actually know some of my Greek family members before we do that, but if not I will still enjoy it to the fullest.

I am so thankful for DNA testing and research. In the adoptee
world of more questions than answers, the results provide me with something concrete
to stand on as far as where I come from. There are some traditions like music
and cuisine that I can participate in even while I wait for that DNA match that
will hopefully unlock not just the where but the who.

If you are an adoptee who is still searching and experiencing
the frustration that comes with waiting, what of your heritage can you celebrate
while you are waiting? 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Schulte.

Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

Growing up in a home with an alcoholic stepfather that had difficulty maintaining employment and a hard-working mother whose dedication and work ethic has no comparison, I was taught the power of love, hard work, and determination. The environment that was supposed to nurture me included violence, addiction, and trauma. Incarceration was more likely than higher education. I was a basketball player, and the key factor outside of a hard-working, loving mother we’re the coaches that I encountered throughout my childhood education. I didn’t know what college was, but my coaches did, and they knew my intelligence and hard work needed a home. With minimal effort outside of grades and basketball, my coaches successfully got me recruited to college and enrolled at St. Leo University in St. Leo, FL.

Due to restlessness and difficulty accepting the coaching style of the coach who replaced the one who recruited me, the only season played was my senior year. I stayed determined to play and took the opportunity with a new coach my senior year when the opportunity presented itself. Basketball saved my life. I did very well academically and graduated in 2000 with my bachelor’s degree in Criminology. Feeling my options were limited with a criminology degree, my life took a turn, and I spent the next five years without direction and began to spiral until I started my career journey as a behavioral health tech at a therapeutic group home for children who suffered from substance abuse and mental health concerns which helped me make the decision to continue my education full time at Nova Southeastern University.

While obtaining my graduate degree in mental health counseling, I decided to change my life, gaining sobriety and accepting healing from my own personal experience. Throughout my career, I have worked in many positions, from helping the homeless, volunteering on the Board of Directors for National Alliance for Mental Illness Hillsborough, helping those in addiction gain sobriety, crisis intervention helping fight suicide, leadership positions, and finally settling into my own private practice. I am most proud that the community which helped create this gift within me is the community I serve with a grateful heart and a humble mind. If you predicted my outcome, one would say this wouldn’t be where I am today, but with a few key people in my life, my purpose was unlocked. It is my purpose to be one of the key people that help others unlock their true purpose.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?

It has not been a smooth road. It included economic suffering as a child, trauma, addiction, and violence. I watched my mother struggle financially, which sparked me to start earning money at 12 years old, washing cars, cutting grass, and cleaning for others. In my adult life, I was presented with the crossroads of healing and sobriety and I stepped up to the challenge and in May, I will have 12 years of sobriety and have overcome my own suffering.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Wellness Alliance?

Wellness Alliance is a private psychotherapy practice in South Tampa. In 2012, I began Wellness Alliance as a solo psychotherapy practice treating adults and couples. My specialties include trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, and couples. I believe what sets me apart is my ability to be present with others during the darkest times in their lives, utilizing my vast knowledge base to facilitate healing. My journey and has personally shown me that great people lose their way, allowing me to give a 100% open, non-judgmental, compassionate approach allowing them to let go of shame and personal judgment to find emotional freedom.

In 2020, as I witnessed the emotional toll the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on our community, the decision was made to grow Wellness Alliance into a group psychotherapy practice. Wellness Alliance now includes three additional clinicians and an office manager, allowing us to reach a greater audience, including children and families. My clinical focus was born out of her personal experience, healing, sobriety, and a desire to help others find emotional well being to reach their most fulfilling life. The culture within Wellness Alliance is one of commitment, dedication, availability, showing up for others, and working with local providers on a continuum of care for the person as a whole physically and emotionally. The treatment provided by the Wellness Alliance team and allies is from the inside out. Our team understands the privilege it is to walk on the path and be present with those they are treating. Wellness is an alliance with all: treatment provider, person and community.

How do you define success?

Being given the privilege to help others heal and having the trust and courage of others to share their life experiences. Most recently, the ability to influence healing to a larger audience.

Contact Info:

Email:

victoria@wellness-alliance.com

Website: 

www.wellness-alliance.com

Instagram: @wellnessalliance

Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/wellness-alliance