Janet Estrada

with The Mental Health Center

As a psychology major at CU Boulder, Janet Estrada became a Youth Advocate with The Mental Health Center Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties a year and a half ago to learn more about kids and psychopathology. She spends a couple hours each week with a youth suffering from emotional and/or behavioral problems, as well as completes weekly progress notes and attends bi-weekly supervision meetings.

According to her supervisor Mike Britton, "Janet always has really fun activities planned for their sessions. She often volunteers double the time that is typically required of our advocates." For example, she might take a client who needs to work on social interaction skills to a CU basketball game.

Estrada likes the "feeling of actually helping out. Most of the kids we work with come from very poor socio-economic backgrounds, and taking them to places they probably wouldn't go with their families is great." As a future teacher, she values "the lasting effects of the relationship we have. We learn so much from each other."

For information about volunteering with The Mental Health Center or other agencies, call the Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904.