Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Brayden Younghusband

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and moved with my parents to Los Angeles, California, where I grew up.
I struggled with my mental health throughout high school but worked my way out of those struggles through therapy and various programs.
Through that experience and process, I developed a passion for helping others and decided to pursue an education in substance use.
I earned my certification in substance abuse and addiction counseling from Orange Coast College and began working in client care for a Southern California treatment center.
I started out thinking that I eventually wanted to become a therapist, but I ended up getting more operations roles instead, which I actually discovered I loved.
After moving to Arizona, I worked as an operations manager and then center manager at treatment centers.
I eventually joined Pinnacle Peak Recovery, starting in business development and then working up to my current position as the executive director of integrated care.
Keep following my journey

Career

Executive Director of Integrated Care

I help people struggling with behavioral health, mental health, and substance use disorders.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Medicine
Science
Helping People

Day to Day

I start my day with a conference call with the providers and front desk staff. We review the schedule of patients coming in that day and highlight any patients that we'll need to spend more time with. I make sure providers are spending adequate time with clients throughout the day. I also see to any operational issues—usually regarding timing and the flow of our clinic. At the end of my day, I spend time on chart audits and reporting. I'll highlight issues that we need to address the next day.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

There are two major routes into this field. On the medical end, you can pursue a nursing degree to become a nurse practitioner or a medical degree to become an MD. If you want to go the clinical route, you can become a licensed social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed substance abuse counselor, or a marriage and family therapist. When trying to gain experience, it's helpful to network to find opportunities. I recommend using Eventbrite to find opportunities in your industry.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Parents:

"You're not going to make enough money as a therapist. That's not a good career path."

Challenges I Overcame

Mental Health Issues
Work-Life Balance