April is National Reentry Month — a time to reflect on what it truly takes for someone to come home, rebuild their life, and thrive. Much attention has been given to immediate needs like employment and housing. But even beyond these basic services, the road to reintegration demands something deeper: attention to mental health and the space for personal healing.
I grew up in Louisiana, where digging in the dumpster for food wasn’t just a phrase — it was my reality. Watching my mother work miracles with what little we had shaped my worldview. From those beginnings through military service, a PhD at NYU, and medical school at Tulane, I’ve learned a powerful truth: transformation begins when opportunity meets mental resilience.
Now, as a Triple Board Resident specializing in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — and as the leader of the Inner Words: Empowering Justice-Involved Individuals Through Identity-Based Mental Health Therapeutic Conversations program — I see daily how mental health support can rewrite futures. From juvenile detention centers to adult facilities across Indiana, we’re witnessing something powerful: when people are given the tools to understand their emotions and build resilience, they begin to reclaim control over their lives.