GENOBIA BABALOLALPC
Sandy Springs, GA
When I was a child, my mother taught me a poem called “Children Learn What They Live.” It had a big influence on me – so much so that I knew at age 15 that I wanted to work with kids. Then, when I was 20, my brother died. I was a junior in college, coming home for Christmas break, when the unimaginable happened. That tragedy affected me profoundly, igniting a passion for turning life’s lemons into lemonade. So, I changed my major from education to psychology. I had a mission: to help people who are suffering but don’t know how to change it. After earning my undergraduate degree in psychology, I was accepted to the University of Florida Graduate College of Education. I decided to focus on mental health counseling because of my experiences with those struggling with mental health. Eventually, my family and I moved to Atlanta. There, I began counseling children, teens, and families, first in an inpatient and then in a partial-hospitalization setting. I became licensed as a Professional Counselor in Georgia; I was promoted to Lead Therapist and then to Program Manager. I later shifted my career to school counseling, and school became my home for 15 years! I honed my career counseling skills to guide my students through the most difficult part of life: high school. Outside the office… I’m married to the love of my life, and we’ve been blessed to have raised two daughters. We’re now empty-nesters, enjoying travel, nature, and activities with our dog, October.