Also note that Sarah had to leave the details of her employer a mystery (government agencies often requires special approval), and that they are hiring! Should anyone be interested in applying to work with Sarah (she sounds like a blast to hang out with), contact me for her personal email address.
And without further adieu, our 'stached lady of the hour ...
Bio info - who are you, how old are you, where are you from, where do you live, what's your living/family situation, what are your hobbies, etc. Essentially, what's your story?
Well ... I am Sarah, I am 32 years young (an age I no joke had to calculate the other day because I could not figure out if I was 31 or 32, I always wondered how people could forget their age….). I am from West Linn, Oregon, born and raised, right alongside Joanna, hence our connection. I live with my husband of almost five years, Billy, and our almost 2-year-old daughter Madyson Maxine, whom we fondly have dubbed Mad Max. We live in a small town located southeast of Salem, called Jefferson; it is small, cozy, filled with young families and is seriously lacking walking trails. As far as hobbies go, I love to sew, mostly clothing for Madyson, and some things for myself every now and again. I spend the majority of my off time playing with Madyson and Billy, cooking good food, watching bad TV, taking walks, and starting crafts I may or may not ever finish.
Husband, Billy, and daughter, Madyson.
My story… I graduated from West Linn High School and went on to community college with the idea that I could pay cash for my education, or at least a portion of it. As it turns out, wiping people's sweat from a tanning bed does not pay well. At 19, I got the bright idea to get a job where I would make tips. I went to Red Robin and weaseled my way in to a job. Restaurant work increased my social circle, and also afforded me the ability to pay cash for my first two years of school. At 20, I was ready to transfer to a university, however, I did not qualify for finical aid. I disagreed with the idea that it was my parents' responsibility to pay for my schooling, and even if I hadn't, I don't think they had stacks of extra cash around to fund such an endeavor. So I stopped going to school to save money for a term. This turned in to me bartending for Red Robin, moving out to an apartment with a pal or two, hooking myself up with a car payment, and enjoying after-work parties with my mates. This went on for a few years ... at 25, I woke up one morning and realized I needed to go back to school.
And so I did.
For the next three years I went to school by day, and tended bar by night. I met my husband during my last term of school. He came in to the bar to visit his sister, who also worked at the Dirty Bird, as we called it. I gave him my number - half as a joke and half serious - for months I joked with his sister asking when my husband was going to call me. Funny how things happen. A few months after we met, I graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Sociology. A year later we were married, and two more years later we were pregnant with our first baby.
What is your current job/profession? What path did you take to get there? Any required schooling or training?
People end up in psychiatric care a number of ways. One way is to be picked up by the police for crimes related to homelessness, such as trespassing, urinating in public (which catches you the status of sex offender, who hasn’t urinated outside?), menacing, and things of that nature. From jail, the person is evaluated to see if they are able to aid and assist in their trial/court proceedings. If there are concerns, the individual may be evaluated by a psychiatrist, who determines whether or not mental illness impedes ability. For some folks this means a trip to Oregon State Hospital - where they are evaluated and given thirty days to stabilize, then re-assess. If they are still not considered "stable," but are found guilty of said crime, they are committed to the hospital for the remainder of the sentence. There's a lot more to this, but that's the gist of it.
Another way to end up in psychiatric care is via the ER and subsequent commitment to the hospital. When a person is discharged from the hospital, they usually “step down” to an Adult Foster Home or Staffed Supported Living - a place where paid workers provide meals, medications, or something of the sort.
When someone is ready to live more independently, either from jail or the hospital, they qualify to receive “Wrap Around” services. As a Wrap Around facilitator, I meet with the qualified individuals and assess their level of required care. Based on that evaluation, our team decides who might be ready for more independent living. I then work with those identified for more independent living to determine their vision for what they want their life to be like, their support system to help them achieve their goals, identify their strengths, and discuss their barriers with the team. A team is made up of Facilitator, Case Manger/Therapist, Skills Trainer(s), and as many friends and family members that are willing (sadly, this is one of the most difficult roles to fill on a team for a couple reason I will explain later).
Workday "selfie."
In order to do my job, I am required to be credentialed as a Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA), which can be obtained a number of ways via a mix of education and experience. I took the path of obtaining my B.A. I went on to work for the State of Oregon in a group home for folks diagnosed with Developmental Disability as well as severe and persistent mental illness. This was a low paying job; I was hired as a temp, and got my ass kicked regularly. The folks in this home tended to have some fairly aggressive behaviors, within the context of a work culture that I felt was not supportive of handling the aggression safely or effectively. So I quit. I then went to work for a government-funded mental health agency as a QMHA and worked much in the capacity that I do now - supporting people to live in the least restrictive environment possible. In that job we assisted with medication management and symptom management, crisis and suicide intervention, coordinating health care, getting food boxes, paying bills, connecting people to free resources, making friends, and helping with housing needs. I left that job shortly after I had Madyson. After a year at home, my husband and I thought it was a good time for me to return to work, for a number of reasons. He owns his own business, so healthcare is expensive and income can be variable; I didn't want to lose my place in the working world, after working so hard for it; and I am really good at what I do, and love it.
What are the pros and cons of your current position?
Pros:
One of the best things about my job is that I am doing something that truly helps the community that I live in. I feel like what I am doing will have a direct impact on the kind of community my kid lives in. I feel that our society very often demonizes people who live with severe mental illnesses; doing what I do brings about an immense amount of hope. I give people an opportunity to speak, to have their voice heard, when historically these folks have been put places, told what to do, how to live their lives, and had very little opportunity to dream. I also get to see people grow and change. My job allows me to see the resilience that humans are capable of. In short, what I do feels good. I feel good about what I do. There are also the smaller things like, I have amazing health insurance, retirement benefits, paid maternity leave, a flexible schedule, and holidays off. I am not on-call 24 hours a day like I once was. I have extremely supportive co-workers and supervisors. I am so lucky to work with the team I do.
Cons:
Sometimes the people I work with do not succeed living in a less restrictive environment. They get sick. They do things that get them taken to jail, State Hospital, or acute care. It is hard to not own someone else’s successes or failures. My job can be scary. The folks I work with are often in a very uncomfortable place that does not feel safe, that makes them feel like they have to fight, fly, or freeze. I have been on the receiving end of each one of those responses; picking up the pieces and moving on can be tough. I once was attacked while 6 months pregnant. It did not hit me till I had Madyson that I could have lost her, because of the job I choose to do. Although this experience was NOT typical, it certainly has, and will, happen. Lastly, this job can be emotionally exhausting.
Walk us through a typical day, week, or month ...
I wake up about 6:30 a.m., get ready, hang out with Madyson and the Hubs till I leave the house at 0805 (I am so exact, I squeeze as much time in at home as possible!). I arrive at my office at 8:30 a.m., make myself some oatmeal, then sit down to my phone messages and emails. I spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour catching up on emails, updating Wrap Around plans, or doing insurance billing. I then return phone calls to the folks I work with, sometimes just to check-in to see how things are going, or to set up an appointment for a home visit, or to organize a community outing.
I usually leave the office by 10 a.m. to go out in the community, and meet with people. The time I spend in the community is really dependent on what I am working on with someone. Some examples of things I do include: going to the Social Security office to setup benefits; going to Northwest Senior and Disability Services for benefits; grocery shopping; apartment hunting (my least favorite); going to the DMV to get ID; assisting in filling medications; assisting at the pharmacy or for doctor appointments; going for drives; going to the bookstore; connecting people to free clothing, food and furnishings; taking people shopping for household items. I also do some "skills training," as we call it - teaching peeps how to shower, maintain personal hygiene, clean their home, take the bus, schedule appointments, budget on a limited income, make friends, manage medications, symptom management - honestly, we help with any skill that is needed to live life on the day-to-day.
I try to spend at least three hours in direct contact a day with my peeps. (I prefer the words "peeps" or "folks"; there is a movement amongst mental health providers to stop using words to describe the people we serve in a manner that is not person-centered, ie the word CLIENT is a nasty word!!!) If I am not out and about, I am on the phone with them, their Therapist, Case Manager, Payee, Family Member, Adult Foster Home Provider or Probation Officer. When I am not on the phone, I am in staff meetings, trainings, or at my computer catching up on my billing or updating Wrap Around plans. (I am a notorious procrastinator when it comes to this, hence it being last on my list!) The structure of my day is dependent on how I set things up; 99.99 % of the time I leave my cube at 5 p.m., then race home to spend as much time as possible with my Hubs and my munchkin!
What is something about your job that other people might not know or expect?
I am pretty sure that most people are unaware my job even exists ...
What other jobs could you work with your education/training/experience?
There are many different positions that are available to someone with my background; they go one of two ways - a nonprofit, or a government funded agency. Supporting people living with Mental Illness can look a lot of different ways, and be structured many ways depending on state and region.
How much do you make? (Too forward?!? Probably. But let's be real, a large part of the reason we work is to make money - give us some deets about your income, as much as you feel comfortable sharing, whether specific to your personal salary, or generally speaking, as in, What Would Google Say).
This is not a job you do for the pay, and in most cases not for the benefits ( insurance and time off ). I am lucky to have landed a gig in a government agency so I am on the higher end of the pay scale for folks with the same credentials. The salary table (currently agreed on by the union) starts at $37,273 for someone just entering the field and goes to $55,036.80. I'm not making rain in the club, but good news is I do not go clubbing much these days. I am rich in karma and pretty happy about my retirement plan. I also have amazing accrual of paid time-off, and amazing health insurance - as in I paid NOTHING to have my daughter.
Do you anticipate making any career changes in the next 5 to 10 years?
I am hoping to secure some upward mobility in my job by getting a Master's Degree. I would love to be a trainer or a supervisor of some sorts someday. Other than that, at this point in time, I plan on retiring from my current employer, in 30 or so years ... GEESH!!! (looks worse written down than it sounds!)
If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be?
My back-up career idea has always been real estate; I think I would be really great at it. I excel at making connections to other humans, hence what I do now. I think I could really fill my purse pockets if I were selling something like houses. If I could choose ANY career, I would chose to be a comedian - SNL could use someone like me.
If someone else was interested in your job, what piece of advice would you give them?
Practice patience, strive to maintain good boundaries in life, dig deep, and decide why you want to do this sort of thing. And then only do it if your reasoning is purely to benefit others with a gift you were given to connect, and provide comfort and guidance. Make sure you laugh. Don’t take it personally, it likely isn’t about you - remember, you didn’t get in to this because it was about you?. Do not talk about people like they are not there. Honor uncomfortable silences. Know your environment. And, lastly, trust your gut.
How do you balance work life and home/personal life?
I don’t know that I always do. My house is messy sometimes, and I know I could always use more quality time with my family. But, I try. I am lucky that my husband works a lot from home, so he can be with Madyson. That sometimes means when I get home he immediately gets to work on his paperwork and phone calls. We share the chores of the house pretty well - he does more during the week and I pick up the pace on the weekend. I do not answer text messages or phone calls regularly so we can focus on our family when we are together. I think the most important key to this is that I do not take my job home with me. When I get home, I am home. I do not share the frustrations of a day’s work for more than maybe five minutes. I think being present is the most important way I balance my work/home life.
"The Christina to my Meredith."
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