From Childhood Notebooks to Author to Transforming Mental Health Narratives: Meet Caroline Clauss
Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology and the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology in the School of Health Professions at Long Island University, Brooklyn.
Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers is speaking at the GlobalMindED conference in Denver, June 16-18.
Tell us about your journey.
I wanted to be a writer from an early age. In Venezuela we would go to the stationery store and I would buy little cuadernos (notebooks). I would fill them with stories and created a small library of books I made at home. It was such a full circle moment when my husband and I wrote our first book, Eating Together Being Together: Recipes Activities and Advice from a Chef Dad and Psychologist Mom, that talks about building connections by preparing and sharing food together. Growing up in Venezuela also showed me from a young age the vast disparities between wealth and poverty. At that time, there were wealthy towns that looked up into mountains covered with makeshift homes often built out of tin and cardboard. These early experiences shaped my commitment to community and addressing inequities.
What pivotal experiences shaped your current path?
Without a doubt, the pivotal experiences that supported my current path are the people I met along the way. These meeting points happened at all stages of my personal and professional life, starting in third grade all the way up to college, graduate school, and beyond. I met my after-college mentor when I was working as a social worker for child protective services. Unbeknownst to me at the time, my future mentor was present at a first home visit with one of my assigned families as the child’s therapist. She was there to see if I was going to be a caring person working with the family. Despite being there to “check on me,” we became very close with a friendship that continues to this day. Her work with communities as a psychologist inspired me to pursue graduate study in psychology. Fast forward many years where I was fortunate to hear a conference presentation given by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Mrs. Carter’s words inspired me to apply for a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism. My fellowship project, the first done in Spanish, focused on stigma in Latinx communities. This work re-connected me with the community and the Spanish language in such a meaningful way. It was like coming home.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
Be open. Openness allows us to extend ourselves in an engaged and present way. There are three ways I like to think about being open. The first is to be open to learning. Ours is a result driven society. Students absorb that with a focus on grades and GPA. While these are important, what risks getting lost is the learning process. And learning involves being willing to make mistakes to see what transpires when we end up doing something di`erent than what we’re supposed to do. I’ve found that being open to learning encourages me to take risks and go for the things I really care about. This leads to a second type of openness— openness to trying again. If we’re open to mistakes, we’re likely to be open to try again when we don’t succeed the first time. I can honestly say that there have been many times in my life, starting with running for President of Student Council in high school, that I did not achieve what I hoped for the first time I tried. Maybe because I’m open to making mistakes or simply don’t like hearing people say I can’t do something I want to do, I’ve learned how important it is to try again. I’ve seen great success when trying for what I care about the second time around. And finally, have an openness to others. Learning from others, mentoring and being mentored by others, collaborating and having fun with others—it’s the best of what life’s all about.
What drives your desire to contribute and make a difference?
Caring about people and communities are key motivators in my life. In ways big and small, I’m invested in contributing to well-being whether it’s getting my youngest to his soccer practices or writing Eating Together Being Together that explores ways to build eating mindfulness and encourages families to spend time together. I also find myself reacting to unfair situations and wondering what we can do about them. In these moments, I’ve found that being authentic and putting myself on the path I need to follow is important. Sometimes that path can be lonely, but I’m continuing to learn how to walk it.
If you could go back and advise your younger self, what would it be?
Trust yourself, you’ll get where you need to go.
How can GlobalMindEd support STEM leaders like yourself in achieving your goals and advancing your aspirations?
So much can unfold when we have mentors who invite and encourage us to participate in pursuing our aspirations. This is why as a professor and Principal Investigator of the Cultural and Community Resilience Lab a critical goal is mentoring students to support a pipeline of future leaders and researchers. GlobalMindEd can support leaders in reaching their aspirations by building on their community to bring people together around a common vision. By building a network of people who share experiences and opportunities with one another, we can cultivate leadership.
| 
