35 under 35
Taylor Novak, LCSW, CPP Pi Alpha - University of Florida
Trauma Therapist, Gainesville Healing House
Which of the Delta Zeta shared values resonates with you the most? Belonging
Can you share a brief 5-7 sentence biography about yourself, highlight key moments in your career that have shaped who you are today?
The woman who joined the Pi Alpha chapter of Delta Zeta in 2011 did not envision the woman I am today, but there were clues. It was an older sister who introduced me to the idea of therapy in her senior speech. It was a sister in my class who confided in me about experiencing relationship violence. It was a younger sister who came to me about her struggles with food. It was the encouragement the organization gave its members to seek the truth and crusade for justice all the while giving out understanding, love and faith. Since graduating in 2015, thousands of kids, teens, adults and seniors have shared parts of their world with me, each shaping me along the way. It is an honor and a privilege to engage in the important and complex pursuit of community, now more than ever.
Who has been an invaluable mentor for your professional career? What did you learn from this friendship?
My former clinical supervisor, Emily, witnessed me in some of my least comfortable moments. She saw me think, feel and behave in a range of directions, and made space for them all to be okay. She validated and challenged me, praised me and taught me, and she gave me her presence and attention. I learned from her to see people fully, and to recognize the breadths between total power and powerlessness.
How did you discover your passion and what opportunities have helped shape your curiosity for what you do?
There were always clues indicating my passions, but they all seemed so unrelated until they didn’t. College helped me discover my interest in the human experience through experiences in student organizations, classes, work and my evolving personal life. Today my job, social networks, and experiences are opportunities that fuel and inform my curiosity for understanding the human experience.
Looking ahead in your career, how do you envision continuing to incorporate generosity into your leadership style and professional endeavors?
I recently became a Qualified Supervisor in the state of Florida, allowing me to help train the next waves of social workers and therapists. I also plan to continue offering community education and consultation in new and varying formats. Whether it’s innovating new programs in my workplace or reaching new heights in the non-profit I lead, I plan to use reflection to improve accessibility and create more affirming impacts.
How has your community helped you professionally? Is there a friend (or Delta Zeta sister) that has been behind you every step of the way on your career journey?
My community is there for me every day, and I need them! My family and friends, and connected professional peers regularly help me. They offer comforting hugs and words when I’m sad and angry or confused. They offer time and perspectives to more widely explore challenges. They offer diversion and joy to fill my cup. Many of these people, including my own Delta Zeta Big Sister, seem as responsible for my successes as I am.
What does empowerment mean to you, and how have you worked to empower others in your career or personal life?
My head connects empowerment with agency, autonomy, rights and responsibilities. I consider this concept in every hour of every workday I’ve had since college graduation, as it was critical to my first job. Working at a domestic violence and rape crisis center, we viewed empowerment as the antidote or healing agent for survivors of power-based abuse. I now highly value healthy relationships of all kinds, personal and professional, and see empowerment as a necessary ingredient in them. Because I believe relationships and community are vital for healthy living, empowerment becomes paramount as well.
What does it mean to you to create an environment of belonging for others, and how do you carry that lesson into your personal and professional life?
To create belonging in an environment is to till and fertilize the soil needed to grow all other wonders in this lifetime. Belonging sustains that deeply wired safety our very nervous systems require; threats to that safety beget disruption, isolation, fear and fighting. I try to explicitly communicate my intentions for safety and support in all new relationships I enter. That can be done directly in conversation, proactively in the art I use to decorate my office, by the content I post online, or even retroactively when someone acts in a manner against my value of belonging. Our actions matter; they shape our environments which shape the global experience. Is there anything more empowering than that?