April has always enjoyed working with animals. As a young girl she enjoyed observing nature and going for hikes. She entered college with a desire to pursue a career that combined her love of people and animals. She obtained a BS in Multinational Business from Florida State University, with the hopes of helping non-profits become successful. The military decided to utilize her business degree and offered her the opportunity to serve as a Logistics Specialists in the United States Navy. April decided to join the Navy after September 11. She was motivated to serve her country and gain additional job skills. The military taught April that a motivated team and hard work can accomplish amazing things. She seeks to apply these concepts in her work with others and the paws4vets organization. After leaving the military April decided that she wanted to be involved in helping others. This led her to pursue and eventually receive a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling. April’s Service Dog CLAIRE has become an instrumental part of her obtaining her degree. In addition, CLAIRE is utilized in assisting clients obtain a greater quality of life. CLAIRE and April have performed over 2000 hours of therapeutic support to clients. It is amazing to see how effective CLAIRE is in helping people mitigate anxiety and discuss difficult issues. April has since earned an MA in Licensed Professional Counseling from Liberty University, and is a member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association and the national Association of Professional Women.
April is incredibly grateful that CLAIRE was the catalyst to start her recovery process, and she loves being able to watch her help others along the way too.
Thanks to CLAIRE, April made great improvements to her work and home life. She continues to have a positive outlook, and is working toward great progress with her new Service Dog, RIGGS.
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