Corinne vance
What is your job title and what year did you come on staff at The WellHouse?
My current title is Senior Trauma Therapist. I first came on with The WellHouse in 2017, and have held a few different titles, including Director of Trauma Therapy.
What is your favorite part about your job?
The best part of my work at The WellHouse is sitting with the women. For over five years, I had the honor of working individually with women doing therapy, listening as they described horrific experiences. Now I am doing group therapy work with the ladies. I come and bring them complex material that addresses their trauma. I watch how they take in difficult information, and I listen as they speak their answers to questions. I am in awe. I know their stories and I know where they come from and yet, here they sit, alive and vibrant. In many ways it is like watching a butterfly begin to make its way out of the chrysalis.
Tell us about your educational and professional experience that equips you to be successful in this field.
I have over 20 years of experience providing therapy with people who have gone through various levels of trauma. I graduated from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology with a Masters in Theology and Masters in Counseling Psychology. I continue to do post graduate training in Object Relations and Attachment Theory. I have had training in Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence and Exploitation. I am beginning to write about my work and just recently had an article published in a professional journal.
Please share your favorite memory from your time working at The WellHouse.
Watching as a Resident began to understand she was not responsible for the harm done to her. Stunning.
How has working at The WellHouse impacted your life?
These women have impacted me in ways I am now just beginning to put words to. In many ways, I learned from them as I sat with them in session. Truly this time has been a rare season in my life and one I am deeply grateful for. When I think about my time at The WellHouse, my favorite quote from Donald W. Winnicott comes to mind: "It is a joy to be hidden and a disaster to not be found."