“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” says Gabriell Budoff, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, who says the popular quotation has implications for the mental health field. Many things in life are unpredictable and beyond control and this can cause emotional strain.
Although everyone expresses themselves differently, it’s common for individuals to feel they lack purpose or are stuck and not like themselves anymore, Gabriell says. As difficult, people often feel alone and isolated in their struggles. They sense there is a divide between themselves and their communities’ greater support systems.
The prevalence of these states motivated Gabriell to pursue a career that would allow her to provide comprehensive care and enable him to treat the whole person. To help her achieve that goal, she graduated from Boston College with a Master of Science degree in Nursing and Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
Gabriell likes to meet patients where they are. Some patients are challenged to find the right words to express themselves, she says, which is why she is attentive to their nonverbal cues. “If a patient is nervous or apprehensive about seeking treatment, I also try to utilize a roundabout approach to normalize mental health treatment.
Gabriell describes herself as compassionate, conscientious, patient, affable, and humorous. “It’s important to remain flexible and face one day at a time, she says. A good rule of thumb is to go live your life and try to appreciate every day.”