DEANNA DeSANTIS: BEING A NURSE, PSYCHOTHERAPIST, AND EQUESTRIAN COUNSELLOR | EP 146

Deanna’s career in therapy 

Deanna completed her nursing degree right after completing high school. She had her sights set on being an ICU nurse. Once she graduated, Deanna had a mental health position as a nurse when she worked with cancer patients in Hamilton. 

‘I was working with cancer patients and I found that they wanted to talk. There were a lot of patients that were, unfortunately, closer to the end of their [lives], and they wanted to talk … I was thinking, “I like talking to people, they like talking to me, this can be my career!” So I ended up leaving the cancer floor and doing mental health full time as a nurse, and then completed my Masters in Counselling Psychology.’ – Deanna DeSantis 

While Deanna was completing her Masters in Counselling Psychology, she switched between working full-time and part-time as a nurse to support what she needed to do to complete her degree. 

She hopes to transition to full-time therapy one day soon, and to grow her Canadian practice into a group private practice.

‘I don’t think I will ever leave nursing … but I definitely would like to transition into doing full-time [therapy].’ – Deanna DeSantis 

The desire to open a practice 

Deanna wanted to open her own private practice rather than work as a therapist in a hospital setting because she wanted to be her own boss. 

The flexibility of running her personal and working schedule, and the ability to be in charge of her day, was something that she wanted to align her professional career with. 

‘This is my way of being my own boss and having flexibility because I do enjoy being a nurse and helping patients through some of the roughest times of their [lives]. I don’t think I’d ever want to lose that … And I can pull my psychotherapy hat into my nursing pretty regularly as well, so I get the best of both worlds while also getting to decide my schedule.’ – Deanna DeSantis

An equestrian therapist

Deanna has the skills and understanding to be a great equestrian therapist. 

She had personal experience as a competitive horse rider, and so knew first-hand what the challenges were that many riders faced, both inside and outside of competitions. The stress, the fatigue, and putting themselves last, were all aspects that she had experienced and wanted to help other riders with. 

Deanna wanted to encourage riders to also take time and care for themselves, and not to give absolutely all of their attention to their horses so that they can continue to compete and be well overall. 

‘I think one of my biggest successes [has been] the long-term clients that I have, and just [to see] the progress that they’ve made … Just knowing that I am that person who they can reach out to [is amazing].’ – Deanna DeSantis

Deanna’s advice to listeners 

Make connections! Talk with people, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to reach out to someone that you look up to. There is a lot of insight available to you when you place yourself in the right circles with the right people. 

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