Mental Wellness for Tax Season

Overview

2026 WVSCPA "Lunch and Learn" Series

The WVSCPA continues the Lunch & Learn Sessions for the 2026 year offering 1 hour of CPE free to members.

In January we will discuss Mental Wellness for CPAs during Tax Season.

Presenter:  Candice Pauley

We tax session gears up for the 2026 season to learn how to balance your work / life balance.

Candice Pauley: 
I’m deeply passionate about helping others discover their inner voice, understand themselves on a deeper level, and reach their full potential, especially while navigating the challenges of mental health. I believe it’s vital to recognize that mental health doesn’t define who we are, but it is a part of us that deserves intentional care, just like any other aspect of life.
My journey into this work began with my own mental health struggles, which started at age 13 when I first experimented with drugs and alcohol. I spent years battling anxiety and depression, often self-medicating while searching for meaning and purpose. Through that personal experience, I found clarity: I wanted to turn my pain into purpose by becoming a mental health therapist.
I earned my BSW from West Virginia University in 2011, followed by my MSW in 2013. Over the years, I’ve worked in diverse areas of mental health—providing in-home family support, working as an in-patient therapist at Highland Hospital, supporting individuals in recovery at St. Francis’s SUD in-patient program, and serving as a School Social Worker in Kanawha County Schools for seven years. In 2024, I returned to direct mental health care and am grateful to now be part of the Crescent Counseling Group. I became certified in EMDR therapy in 2025 and am continually inspired by the healing it brings to those coping with trauma, anxiety, and emotional distress.
Outside of my professional role, I’m a wife and a mom to two young children who are the center of my world. My journey into motherhood came with its own challenges—after the birth of my first child in June 2020, I was hospitalized with postpartum psychosis when my son was just 10 days old. That experience was life-altering and reaffirmed my purpose: to support mothers in all stages excepting, grieving, or navigating the postpartum period.
I’ve been living alcohol-free since November 2020 and enjoy supporting others who are rethinking their relationship with alcohol or substances. As a true millennial woman, I love an outdoor country concert, a long backroad drive, and embracing my “old lady hobbies” which include birdwatching, puzzles, gardening and a good cuddle with my kitties.

Credits:  1.0 CPE Hours
Field:  Specialized Knowledge (1)
Prerequisites: None
Knowledge Level:  Basic; designed for all CPAs and staff