Gizelle E. Tircuit

Director of Health and Wellness Health Clinic Mitchell College (New London, CT), MS, LPC, DBT, CGTC

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Interview

Can you share some details about yourself, background, education and relevant training you've received?

Originally from New Orleans moved to New England with then husband (Coast Guard) and her four children. Drawn to the educational opportunities in New England. We stayed because there's a college on every corner. That was a beautiful thing. I love the whole educational built in, wherever you go, you've got some form of education that you can take advantage of. Always has been a lifelong learner committed to personal and professional growth. You're always expanding who you are. I'm not the same person I was three years ago. Obtained Bachelor's in Psychology from Southern University of New Orleans, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU). Followed by Masters in Special Education Southern Connecticut State University which was inspired by the need for behavioral interventions in special education. While being a social worker with the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Went to work at Elmcrest Hospital in clinical roles addressing psychological needs. Then went back into more education in psychology for Masters in Psychology at Walden University which was pursued online to balance family, work, and education. Then the PhD in Counseling from Walden University as well. And so you grow, you expand, and that's what life is about, growing and expanding who you are, and moving to that next thing that only broadens who you are and your view on life, your world view lens.

Can you describe your current position and main responsibilities?

I am a director of Health and Wellness at Mitchell College, which I moved into the position 2.5 years ago now.

I do have a private practice with my daughter here in New London. Her name. She's Dr. Janelle Pose. She just got her PhD in social work from Simmons University in Boston.

And I also have a community program organization that I do with my partner, James Haj. He does the physical training. He's a physical trainer, yoga instructor, he does massage, therapies, licensed in all those areas. We do the balance of physical and mental to talk to people about -- you have to keep those together. They cannot be excluded or they're not exclusive from each other. Each depends on the other and can affect the other. So, we have the Rose City movement is what it's called in Norwich, Connecticut. And we do a lot in the community, a lot between -- student activities, adult health, you know, wherever you can, support and let people know the importance of mental health and physical health and being out there and being healthy.

I have worked with interns and I let them know when you come here as a therapist -- I work with every department on this campus. From facilities to the dining hall. This campus really works. Everybody's connected, as we understand as a smaller college, you are connected. You're going to see each other, much more frequently than you would say on a larger campus with 10,000 people on the campus. This campus only has about 498, and that's not including the commuters. They are about 200 commuters.

So that’s what psychology is. It's every aspect of what you do on a daily basis. I collaborate with the freshman division, which is freshman seminar or, you know, first year experience. The IT department, they get in and they see people and exchange and have conversations and we need to know res life. It's every aspect. Here on the campus, everyone. I check in with people. They come to me if they need and know I'm always accessible. I go into classrooms because I believe I need to be visible, because I don't want people to have that the stereotype that. Oh, because that person is who they are, you can't just go walk up to them and talk. Hey, I'm a human being just like you are. And I am subject to disappointments and anger and joy and everything else you could think of. I just have more resources to manage it. And just like any other human, sometimes I don't manage it very well, but then you pull yourself back, you regroup, and say I am going to do better, and you keep going forward. So, to answer your question, I collaborate because I understand again, from Alfred Adler, what we do in our community shapes who we are. And so, it is important to be able to collaborate and be connected to the folks in your community.

Now, are some people more rigid? Absolutely. You meet people where they are. There are certain people you know, you can laugh and do certain things with. And there are certain people you can't that's just not who they are, and there's nothing wrong with that. You find your village. And those are the people that you tend to be with most of the time.

What initially attracted you to your current role or profession?

As a little girl growing up with my grandmother in New Orleans, we watched a lot of old movies, and she would talk to me about Hollywood. Well, when I was probably about, 5 or so, I remember watching the Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft and it was about Helen Keller, and it was the 60s version, before I was born, but I love it's a black and white version. And Anne Bancroft plays Annie Sullivan, who was the woman who helped Helen become who she was and develop and grow this intelligent woman who had all these creativity and brilliance to grow and be who she was. She did not accept that Helen had these disabilities that would stop her. Like, Oh, poor Helen, no, no, no -- she can. She's smart. She can learn. I love that because that theme in there was she can learn. Anyone can learn. We can learn. That's what we do as humans. That's what we do as living creatures, all living creatures, they learn whatever level it is, and then there's that evolution that comes with learning as we have found with viruses, a lot of people learn that way. But she was a strong person, strong woman. She was in what they called asylums in Boston. She and her little brother, Adie Sullivan. The family found her up here, brought her down to Alabama where she started working with Helen. But that was the first I think influence on me because I saw like, Oh, yes, you know, you get in there and you find folks who really need your support. There's no excuses. You go to help people, and you make a difference with folk.

The next influence came in 1976 when I saw the movie Sybil. And it was about this young woman who purportedly had, 40 something different personalities at the time. She had a very traumatic childhood. Her mother was schizophrenic and abused her. And she was in New York, and she meets Doctor Wilbur. Doctor Wilbur was the psychiatrist. And at that time, psychiatrists made house calls. You call them directly, they come to see you. They did therapy with you. More of them. Most of them did therapy at that time. And she gave Sybil what she needed. Sybil needed love. Sybil needed to know what good love was. Safe love. And she was there with her for the long haul. She was on the floor with her when she would have an episode. She would fix food for her. And coming from my culture in New Orleans, food is everything. That's how we make connections. Sybil and one of the personalities was musical. So, she would sit with her and they would sit in the big chair. I just fell in love with that idea of you meet people where they are. You give them what they need because there was this picture of because I'm a doctor -- I have to sit in an office very clinical and can't laugh or exchange or go and have a cup of coffee or anything like that. She gave her what she needed, and Sybil got better. There's this drive, this drive of wanting to be out there and helping support people.

But then I was introduced to Alfred Adler, who was a student of Sigmund Freud. He broke away from Sigmund Freud because he didn't agree with the whole psychosexual issues of your mother being responsible for all your ills in the world. He worked with families. He was the first psychologic psychiatrist to work with families and to do group interventions. But he talked about us all having a goal. We all should have a goal. We all have a goal. Now sometimes those goals get misdirected and we go errant because we're not on our goal, we get on other people's goal, and then it creates a whole dysfunctioning in us because we're not doing what we need to do for ourselves. Then I realize, yes, I'm just goal driven. Just like I said, I don't know it's been 2.5 years, where am I going next? Because your goal should change. When you wake up, you should have a goal. Doesn't have to be lofty. But wake up and say, I'm going to finish the laundry. I'm going to start that book and give yourself parameters and give yourself some objectives that you can attain that are positive. You can say, hey, I did something today.

When I found Alfred Adler, I was like, oh, my god, I found myself. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm Catholic. So the other part was that -- Are you vain? Is that like a sin? I mean, you know, you have to go through all this stuff. You think of all this. But I was okay. I found my home and knew that it was psychology I needed to pursue because Alfred Adler understood the community is very interspersed and connected to the individual. There's a reciprocity. When we give to the community and we get that feel of, oh, I've accomplished something. I've done something. It stimulates and drives you, which makes you go out and do more. My community is doing good things. I love what I see in my community. I need to go and do things. It drives you. I discovered that social component, that's very important as an individual. Yes, I look from the individual piece, but there's that social piece that goes with it as well. That is what you find mostly with social work.

How do you incorporate cultural sensitivity into your practice when dealing with mental health issues in diverse populations?

My daughter does ancestral practices. She does Tarot. She incorporates the African maternal theologic type of practices from Africa. That went to the Caribbean, which ended up in New Orleans. There are certain practices, but it's not the evil thing that Hollywood has made it to be. It's a practice about spirituality. It's a practice about energy and forces. But there is that theologic deity maternal deity because there are a lot of female deities. And many -- aboriginal Native America. So, it's incorporating those pieces into practice. And she does that. She does that part.

But, yes. I was teaching psychology theories this past last semester, and I was telling the students. I said, well, guys, I had a client when I was working at Care Plus the dual diagnosis substance clinical program. The client came to us for substance issues, a young adult. He was also Hispanic. And in certain cultures, we talk about energies and forces. Energies get in us, and energies are not always positive energies. I said, however, this family saw the need for what this young man needed from a physical physician. But culturally, they also understood spiritually what was needed. And so, I wanted them to understand that because most of them weren't really familiar with that. But it's about what makes you better? What makes you function? That's what therapy is about.

You know what I think across the board, you feel people out. You talk about it, you listen to what people are saying, and you find the themes. And you go with that. I talk about how I go deep with my emotions. There are certain aspects, but you listen to people. And then if they're spiritual, if they're religious, depending on what you're getting, you incorporate that, but you have to listen culturally to what's there. I've never had someone that I just culturally couldn't meet a need. I'm open, like if someone needed something specific. Absolutely. You go out, you find it. I either consult with someone or say, hey, I have this person who is more experienced in this area. Would you like to talk with them?

What community-based mental health interventions have you been involved in, and what outcomes have you observed?

You know one thing I love. Families will call. Parents will call or are sending their kids here because we have a 48% neuro-divergent population. Many of these kids are going away for the first time. They have not been independent. This is all new. They have not governed themselves, so to speak, they've had their parents who've had to do things for them along the wayBut for me, whether it's a parent or someone who comes back and says, thank you for taking the time to tell me and give me what I need. That means more to me than anything else. That's an honor for somebody to say, I'm going to send my kid to you. You know what I mean? Because you hear that. Because, you know, they'll say, like, someone said they just I didn't know where to go. They just said, go. And then people flounder. Do you know what I mean? It’s frustrating you know? That means more to me than anything. It does. But for me, whether it's a parent or someone who comes back and says, thank you for taking the time to tell me and give me what I need. That means more to me than anything else. That's an honor for somebody to say, I'm going to send my kid to you. You know what I mean? They'll say-- someone said this and I just I didn't know where to go. They just said, go. And then people flounder. Do you know what I mean? It’s frustrating. That means more to me than anything. It does. To have someone say you heard me, You really listened to me. Thank you. Doesn't take much. It really doesn't. And then it's easier for them to speak on the next time. It makes it a little better to say somebody at least listened to me. So now I feel a little better I can go and find what I need or I can keep searching for what I need. To get even some clarification on what they feel or they feel they need.

How do you collaborate with other community members or organizations to deliver mental health services?

Find what you need. Be vocal about it. Have clear communication about what you need. If you're not getting what you need, then say, hey, let me see what else is out here. Can you help me find what I need? And I've had to do that with folks. Oh, I'm sorry, I don't do that aspect, but I will help you find what you need. I'm not going to let you flounder out and just go by yourself. I'm going to help you find what you need. And that's what it should be about. Supporting and helping folks. Cause I don't fit everyone. Everyone does not fit me. That's not how life is. But we still should be supportive of each other. People may not remember who you are, but they remember your name, but they remember how you made them feel. That person cared enough to say, let me help you.

Let's talk about Norwich for a minute. I also do contract work with the Norwich Human Services. I work with young teenagers, when there's a need, DBT, which is dialectical behavioral therapy. Which looks at how people manage their emotions. People say, 'Oh, I go 0-100, and then I just get really angry and I just fly off and I can't control'. I work with DBT a lot, and DBT origin was established to work with females who are borderline personality disorder, but the strategies can really work with anyone because they're about strategy and teaching people how to utilize these and how to think about the gray areas, not black and white, thinking, but gray.

What resources do you find most valuable in supporting your work with mental health in the community?

NAMI the National Alliance for mental illnesses, WHO, CDC. I do what's called therapist aid.com. They have this collection of worksheets and interactives, and just research-based information that they put there that I utilize. As far as referrals, I use psychology today. I refer people who are there and teach them. Show them how to use it so that they can be informed and look for what they need. The .edu's, of course. I teach them how to go to the library. Go to your library. If you're on a campus, they're going to show you all the access. They have to all kinds of information. The librarian is still a really good resource for information. Talk to the librarians. They know a lot. That's a wealth of information and they forget to access the librarians. In the community as well as on campuses.

How do you stay informed about the latest research and best practices in community mental health?

I know when I was doing my dissertation, I got a lot of my qualitative studies from nursing. And looking at how many of those doctoral nursing students approached qualitative-- of what's the quality of your life? How do you like this? How do you make those connections of quality, from one person to the next or from one issue to the next? So yeah, I have a great fondness for nursing.

Also, conferring with other therapists in the group. I belong to three therapy groups on Facebook, and they're closed because they have to be certified. Two of them are for clinicians of color. And then I have one that's just open because it's still very important for you know, melanated folk to have their space to be able to express things that need to be expressed without judgment and to get the support. For the issues that affect folk of color. So yeah, I confer. I consult, read, look at the new research that comes out and access information that way.

I'm the grassroots person. I love reading the research. But somebody has to be out here doing it. So I love moving. I got to move. I'm one where, I'm okay for a while, but then, like I cannot stay in an office like this. I need to move because that's where I get my vestibular movement and going about and doing things. Because I want to be out there and work with. others I want to be out there with people do things. Now, reporting back. Beautiful. Absolutely. But I want to be the boots on the ground. That's what I want to do. Not necessarily looking and analyzing the data. I love it. It's a beautiful thing, but it's not for me.

What role do you see for preventative measures in community mental health?

Knowledge. Basically, what I tell every client, student, person that I work with, when you go to see your doctor for your physical, please make an appointment to see a therapist. That's important. It doesn't have to be every six months like you go see a dental hygienist. But once a year. Because you can sit with someone. It’s not lifelong, and just by sitting with that person and having a comfortable conversation with someone who's non-judgmental, who's neutral, you'd be surprised what comes up and you'd be like, maybe we need to have one more visit. Let me come back and talk about this a little bit more. Because it's the check in process. Check in processes are good. When you check in, it can offset a lot of things, just like with suicide. We're teaching people, it's okay to ask someone, are you suicidal, right now, what can I do to support you? Because that prevents suicide. Not encourages it. It's a check in. How you do it. I'm not talking about badgering people. I'm talking about, Hey, just checking in to see how you doing, I'm here if you need me. But the check in processes and just being there to be to be that advocate. If you don't think anything's going on, go in for once every two years, you have insurance. If you have insurance, go utilize, it. Go. It's important to have that aspect because you're not going to get that with your medical doctor. They will check and do screening and they'll do referrals for you.

And I encourage people because we talk about the support systems that people have because you need to go talk to other folks. Don't sit here and listen to everything I say and take it as Gospel and Bible. I'm supporting you, but it's putting the pieces together. When you have your village and you talk to those people that closest to you, who love you the most who are there for you, ride and die, you put all that information together and you make an informed decision on what you need. Not what somebody is telling you, you need. Because I tell folks, psychotherapy is not me sitting there telling you what to do with your life because I don't know you. I get to know you, but I don't walk in your shoes, and I have not walked in your shoes all those years that you've come up to see me, but I will support you and I will listen and reflect to you what I'm hearing and where I think support can be. But ultimately, 99.99% of the folks that walk through that door solve their own problems. Just because someone's listening.

What role do you think technology can play in improving mental health care in the community?

You know, COVID brought us Zoom. When people are tired and they come home, and they're not feeling well, but they still want to have their therapy service. So being in someone's energy tells you a lot. But definitely the telehealth piece of it is important, but I firmly believe it does not replace sitting in a room someone. But options. Yeah options, that's what it's about. If I have the option to do it, I know like if I come home and I'm not feeling well, which might be once in a blue moon, or I'm just exhausted or I've got the kids here, I can still have my therapy session. To have an outlet. And I've said this to students. We're going to find the options together, together. Because people always need to know that they have options. There's something there. There's something that they can turn to or find.

Can you share any advice or tips for someone aspiring to enter your field?

It's a drive. If you feel the drive, follow that drive. Follow that path. A passion is a drive, something that you feel is constantly pulling you towards it. There was something that pulled me towards that. If you feel that pull, go towards it. And don't let anyone stop you or dampen that. You have to follow your start. You got to take it from Alfred Adler. What is your goal? Because the minute you get onto somebody else's goal or you jump stream and jump into somebody else's canoe, you're going to find it's going to tip, and it's not going to make you very functional, and you're going to find that dysfunctional set in. You got to find your own star. And you're going to have those hurdles. There are many hurdles I had. You're going to have those hurdles. But again, it's the thing that keeps driving you and pulling you. You can feel it pulling you and you feel it's there. And you have to hang on with that.

Can you recommend any resources, like books or websites, that have been helpful to you?

I love poetry. I love Langston Hughes, Neil Hurston. Maya Angelou. I like poetry. You know, I just had this conversation with someone. My feelings are deep, and I'm not always able to express that. It always come different. I can't because it's so deep. There's difficulty in being concise and clear. And I talked to my friend, James, who is a poet, he writes. They can get those folks who can get those things out and write that poetry. It's beautiful. I see that and go --that is exactly what I was feeling. But I can't put it into those words. That's amazing. Edgar Allen Poe was actually my first poet. And he was deep. He was way brilliant ahead of his time. But he had his demons. His poetry is good.

As far as books, you know, depending on where my interests are-- like polyvagal theory. I read on Vandercook. Depending on those specific interests like with Marcia Lenahan. I'll see items from her and read that. But the things that move me like I told you about those old movies my grandmother watched, I've recommended certain movies. And said, Hey, take a look at this movie. I'll pull a line out and say, listen to this. You pull on what people can connect to. Where the connections are. Movies are a good resource. When you explain the context. What you're looking for. Split, if you ever saw a split. Yeah. That's awesome. It's got it Hollywood piece. But then it also has that piece where you look into the struggles of folks who deal being splintered.

Are there any community involvement or volunteer opportunities you would recommend for someone looking to make an impact in this field?

I think find some cultural volunteering where you can get to know other folk. NAACP, there's Lead in Norwich, which is the Latino education. Get involved in those programs. Find out what's going on in your community. Schools. You can check on your political, you can go school board, check and see what's happening. Learn who's in your town and who the mayor is -- first. I don't think some folks really understand. You need to know what's going on in your town and where you live and then branch off from there. You really can't until -- you understand yourself, you're not going to be able to understand the world. That's the other thing. You need to find out who you are. And then everything else will emanate from that.