Samantha Gerson is a twenty-six-year-old founder and CEO of UnBroken, which is a non-profit organization offering legal, vocational, and therapeutic services to individuals who survived institutional abuse and conversion therapy. The importance of Gerson’s current entrepreneurship lies in servicing as many young people as possible and offering innovative research on the long-term effects of conversion therapy and institutional abuse (Forbes, 2020). Gerson has attained a Master of Social Work Degree with licensure in California from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Social Work from New York University and is currently working on her Doctor of Psychology Degree. With an extensive work history in New York City, the current CEO of Unbroken has focused on working with vulnerable and institutionalized youth, with an emphasis on reparative educational environments. In addition, much of her coursework and previous work positions have provided her with extensive training on multicultural competency. In 2019, Samantha was awarded the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth honor.
Gerson has had a significant impact on the sphere of mental health care because she aims to target highly vulnerable youth groups, such as LGBTQ teens. Such groups are more likely to commit suicide or endure incarceration because of the trauma that they have experienced. Besides, consistent institutionalization, abuse, and conversion attempts have been deteriorating the well-being of such a vulnerable group. Although not aimed at making a profit, Gerson’s work is valuable because she seeks to provide safe environments for the youth. In Gerson’s position, I would be more proactive in popularizing the organization and its mission. It is vital for as many young people as possible to know about UnBroken to seek guidance and support. It can also be a good idea to collaborate with schools and colleges to provide counseling to vulnerable students and help them overcome the challenges of victimization and abuse. In other areas, UnBroken is doing the best it can in the current environment.
Reference
Forbes. (2020). Samantha Gerson. Web.