Leonetta Johnson: Healing Mental Health Disorders by Giving Back to My Community
April 26, 2021
My journey at Motlow State was nothing less than amazing. I am a single mother with
a school-age child, so having the opportunity to complete my entire degree online
was the best. I am forever grateful to the faculty and staff for their guidance and
help—especially Haley Austin and Professor Margaret Maxey, for all of their support
during my two years at Motlow. I cannot be prouder to be an official alumnus!
I am currently working for Murfreesboro City Schools as a Special Education Assistant and teaching kids with mental health disorders such as ADHD, ADD, and Autism. My future goals are to become either a school counselor, social worker, or family therapist (I seek a career that pays well, has excellent benefits, and offers a possibility to work from home). I want to give back to my community what someone gave to my son and me. I would love to help families with children 4-12 years old suffering from mental health disorders.
I was born in Trenton, Tennessee (West Tennessee) but raised in Nashville. I attended Maplewood Comprehensive High School and graduated in 2001. I chose Motlow because it offers online classes, which was workable for me and my situation. In addition to my Motlow education, I was recently accepted to Middle Tennessee State University to work towards my bachelor’s degree. After that degree, I would love to pursue my master’s degree in Psychology.
My favorite course was Introduction to Psychology. It opened my eyes to understanding how the mind works in a child or adult suffering from different mental health aspects. It also enlightened me on various therapies available to help these individuals. This course helped me understand the students I work with along with my son when it comes to their feelings, what they are thinking, and how to handle different situations when they arise.
The advice I would give to potential students thinking about completing their degree online would be to manage their time wisely to get all their assignments done. Be disciplined and focused enough to accept all the challenges of online classes. I genuinely believe that if I can do it with a son who requires a lot of my time, anyone can do it.