Meet Your Coach!
Maya J. Harris is a certified rehabilitation counselor from the Metro-St. Louis area, by way of Belleville, Illinois. Maya received her Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from Maryville University. Her Bachelors of Music degree is from Kentucky State University located in Frankfort, Kentucky. There her passion and commitment to working with individuals with disabilities and their families/support teams began.
During her time in Kentucky, MJ worked for a supportive community living agency that focused on residential and day training programs. MJ’s former position as the Director of the Kids Peace program equipped her with experience in client housing placement, education management, medical support, and the hiring and management of direct support staff members. Inspired by her work in Kentucky, MJ was motivated to continue her education in Rehabilitation Counseling.
By returning to her hometown, MJ believes she was destined to create MJ’s Coaching Corner, LLC. MJ completed both her practicum and internship at Paraquad (Center for Independent Living) while attending Maryville University. MJ began her career at Paraquad as a Continuing Education teacher, where she taught adults with disabilities. This led to becoming the Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP) supervisor. In this role, MJ developed various worksites for high school students with disabilities and established relationships with employers by performing intake assessments. MJ established relationships with various employers in the St. Louis area. The hiring, training. and staffing of job coaches for each worksite was important for the success of each SWEP student. MJ's last role at Paraquad was the PETS Manager/Youth transition manager. In this position, she oversaw multiple interns from a post secondary educational program.
MJ then accepted the position as Vocational Coordinator of the University of Missouri St. Louis Succeed Program. As the Vocational Coordinator, MJ taught students in the program employment skills. Skills were introduced through a curriculum created for entry level employment for 1st year students, as well as career development and advancement for 2nd year students. MJ developed various work opportunities for students to complete required internship or vocational hours. MJ hosted a career fair annually to help assist students become more comfortable in meeting employers and gaining employment. Students learned disability pride and rights in this course, while learning self awareness from various personality and skill assessments.
As a certified rehabilitation counselor, MJ uses her education, expertise and experiences to provide a wholistic approach in the services she provides. MJ assist individuals with disabilities succeed in their community and live a life independently. MJ focuses on the collaboration of goal setting and planning created between herself and the client. With the use of specialized curriculum, clients benefit from understanding more about the world of employment, their own skills and gain pride in their decision making to live a meaningful and independent life. This is what motivates her to work so hard for and with her clients.