What degree(s) do you have and where did you earn it (them)?
I have an MSW from Walla Walla University (Missoula Campus).

What is your current role at your organization?
I am the Director of Behavioral Health and the Child Evaluation Center at the Southwest Montana Community Health Center. I also am a Behavioral Health Provider and see patients in an IBH Model two days a week using Brief, Solutions Focused Therapies.

How did you come to work at your organization?
I was lucky enough to do my practicum here while I was at Walla Walla. I learned so much and loved the fast pace of primary care. I’ve moved around and tried other things, but I love IBH and can’t see myself working in any other model.

What do you appreciate most about supervising practicum students?
Students bring energy to the whole team. They challenge us to be our best and really think through our interventions more mindfully. I think it improves the whole team to have students observe and learn with us. They bring new ideas and research, and they keep us all on toes!

What does being a social worker mean to you?
Being a social worker means so many things. It means I wear hundreds of hats in a day. I am an advocate. I am a mirror. I help people see alternatives and find solutions. I witness pain and hold it gently. I never know what the day will have in store for me, and I truly learn something new every day.

How does your role as a social worker relate to your role as a supervisor?
I don’t think you can separate the social worker from the person. So as a supervisor, I am a social worker. I try to see my staffs’ point of view and advocate for them when I can. I try to be a mirror to them when necessary and help them see other perspectives when that needs to happen also. If they need someone safe to process with, I try to be that person if it is appropriate or point them in a better direction if that is appropriate. My hope is that, who I am as a person, a supervisor, a parent, a spouse, and a social worker are the same person.

What is the most important thing you hope your practicum students take with them into their careers?
My hope is that students learn that our patients are the experts on themselves. Our job is just to draw that knowledge the patient already has out.

What is your favorite quote that exemplifies social work?
Life’s like a bicycle. You only fall off if you stop pedaling.” I’m not sure who said it, but I like it.

Any final words of wisdom?
It’s easy to become “hardened” in social work, especially in the early years and in the hardest jobs. Whatever self-care and ongoing training you have to do to stay grounded, DO IT! Don’t take yourself too seriously or be afraid to laugh. Be a role model to your co-workers and always leave the door open to your patients to come back when they are ready because they will!