DSP Appreciation Week – Denise Braun

“I just want people to know that there is help for people with mental health issues in school.”

For many people, educational consultants like Denise can be an important part of getting a degree while working through a mental health issue. AccessCNY employees like her help with financial aid, study skills, class registration, connecting students with resources, combating social anxieties and so much more. Often, Denise works to help students understand the accommodations and assistance they are already entitled to.

She described a situation where a participant had a lot of problems adjusting to college for the first time, and was there for a second try while just taking one class. Denise explained, “It seemed like it helped so much that in addition to the other things I was doing for him, I was there and not panicked. It ended up being important to play that role. He got a B. Now, he is enrolled in 6 classes!”

Denise says she had a student who recently explored campus, registered for their own classes, graduated, found an internship along the way and got hired by that same company. “It is really amazing to see the progress of personal growth from start to finish . . . and that they could do it even if they didn’t think they could,” Denise said.

Thank you, Denise, for all you do.