For Amanda Kopacz, a recipient of the foundation’s Frances Fisher Scholarship Fund, and as someone with a family history of mental illness (including two of her own children), seeking a master’s in social work with a focus on trauma at Florida Atlantic University is her calling—but it took deep reflection. “The more I learn about trauma and resilience, the more I recognize the relationship between the two and the greater my desire to be of service,” she said. “I was originally resistant because my family had faced so many challenges, including suicide and addiction, and I have my own conditions,” she said. “But once I stepped into openness about my own struggles and my family’s, I realized how many people I respected also had mental health conditions or had been through trauma. It was eye opening to see how much the conversation is needed and how many more people we need working in this profession.”
Since making the commitment to a behavioral health career, Amanda has gone all in, seeking a variety of ways to make an impact, and sharing her own personal story with those she reaches. She has become a certified trauma-informed yoga instructor, providing classes in addiction treatment centers and for organizations serving at-risk youth. She has also represented the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention on legislative issues and spoken at press conferences and events coordinated by Congresswoman Lois Frankel. And as a peer mentor for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Palm Beach County, she has the unique role of being a family member of those impacted by mental health conditions, as well as having her own experiences with anxiety and depression. “I knew working in mental health with families like ours who had experienced trauma and persistent mental health struggles was where I belonged,” she said.
