Why did you choose to work at Youth Villages?
I was looking for an internship working with children after my junior year of college. My roommate had interned with Youth Villages during the school year and really enjoyed it, so I called Sister Barbara and interned at the Dogwood Campus during that summer. I loved it so much, I did another internship during the school year for class credit and then volunteered part-time until I graduated from college and started as a full-time employee.
What positions have you held?
After my internships, I started as an overnight teacher-counselor at the Dogwood Campus. I switched to the intensive in-home counseling program after some time, working as a family counselor. I have since been promoted to clinical supervisor and most recently to regional manager with Intercept and Transitional Living.
What do you love about being a regional manager?
I really like working with professionals here and at other agencies in order to promote partnerships and finding new ways that Youth Villages can work with outside agencies to help provide services to the children and families who need it most.
What does a typical day in your current position look like?
I have several meetings each day, mostly with regional supervisors for Intercept/TL, to get information on and create plans around managing the census, budget, hiring, leadership development, etc., and meeting our goals for the programs. I also spend much time reviewing red-flag cases and coming up with clinical plans for these cases.
Has working at Youth Villages been challenging?
Yes, especially at first. Learning to think through a crisis and problem solve prior to asking for help was challenging. Part of overcoming the problem-solving piece simply meant gaining more experience to build confidence in my decisions. I also attended trainings and received weekly feedback from my supervisor. Also, our focus training and utilizing a Covey planner helped me so much I can’t live without the planner now. Youth Villages has given me some of the best training when it comes to clinical and management skills. I feel like my master’s program was so much easier because of the training I got at YV.
How has Youth Villages helped you advance your career?
I participated in the tuition reimbursement program to pay for part of my master’s courses, and it was such a help. I think it is wonderful to work for a nonprofit to offer this benefit to its staff. Youth Villages also provides plenty of clinical training, booster training and more.
Do you have any advice for a job seeker who is thinking about working for Youth Villages?
Ask to go on a ride along with a counselor to get a good sense of what all the position entails and the clients you will be working with. I think that helps for potential employees to fully understand the position and know if it’s right for them.
What do you find rewarding about your work?
Discharging my first successful case with Intercept was extremely rewarding. It was a difficult case because of the severity of the child’s behaviors and the poor relationship between the child and mother. Through several family crises and multiple trips to detention, the family was finally able to get a behavior plan together and a routine that worked for them. After they discharged, the mother told me she had something that the child needed to share. The child got on the phone to tell me she got an A on her math test and that her mother helped her study for it. Although it seems small, that was a hugely rewarding moment after seeing how far the family had come!
