Hello! My name is Tatiana and I work as a mental health therapist at Percy L. Julian High School on the South Side of Chicago.I deeply love my job and I am passionate about meeting the needs of my students and their families. Therapy is great, but being therapeutic is amazing. There is something truly powerful about being with someone in their most personal, vulnerable moments and supporting them as they discover, rebuild, and heal.My primary focus is addressing the trauma-related mental health needs of our students and to do so, I rely heavily on my bond and relationship with the kids. After the COVID-19 shutdown, however, I struggled to make the same connections virtually. My search for new, fun (and affordable) ways to engage online led me to Pear Deck! Pear Deck's interactive features have changed the way I meet the social, emotional, and mental health needs of my students, and helped me recognize technology as an asset, as opposed to a barrier, within distance learning. The best part? Pear Deck is user-friendly and accessible to those of us who may not be the most technologically-adept (like a psychology major, for example).You do not need to be a therapist to be therapeutic. Being a safe, calm, and empathetic support for students is undeniably powerful and, especially now, we have to get creative to figure out ways to connect and engage with our students!