Steve Nauman: "The role of the mental health specialist is to be that frontline caregiver for children and families who are in need because of mental health issues. The thing that makes them very unique is the wide variety of skills that they must have. They have to be able to work with a team."
Tony Cavalier: "We might work together and come up with an overall treatment plan. A lot of times we're asking DMH as staff to be part of implementing it."
Morgan McDermott: "These are kids who come from all sorts of backgrounds and they really just need guidance. Sometimes they need proper medical attention."
Shelby Wyatt: "With mental health, especially, I'm helping them at such a young age gives them the opportunity to become better adults and so while we're helping the children were also helping our community."
McCormick Lucke: "The skills that we teach here aren't just for children and they're not just for children with trauma and mental health disorders. These are things that when you teach somebody these skills, they use them for life."
Steve Nauman: "One of the primary responsibilities of the mental health specialist is to build relationships with our patients and their families."
Kat Moore:And when you have a patient that comes in with severe behavior, and I mean the very first day that they're there, they are showing a high aggression rate things like that. And then you come in like few days later and they come up to and they want to high five or they, you know, they want a hug or something like that. I'm creating that rapport with them. That's pretty cool."
Brent Billingsley: "Our kids come to us and their in some sort of crisis. There's been some sort of trauma. So what we have to do is recognize each patient's individual crisis."
Lisa Morgan: "A lot of it is developing goals that would help them to be able to return back in the community. Or to return back home."
Shelby Wyatt: "Something as little as helping them with their eating patterns, helping them with their sleep, helping them even realize what their own triggers are. That might seem small to some people, but for them it changes their whole outlook on the world. So doing something as simple as playing games with the children, playing basketball, playing card games. When we're doing that, we're working on improving their social skills, their interactions. When they get upset, when they're losing a game we're helping them utilize their coping skills and walking them through that process. We're also teaching them problem solving skills."
Lisa Morgan: "You never stopped teaching from the time they walk in."
Kat Moore: "We love providing the structure for these kids cause that's exactly what they need. They also need that positive role model - that's crucial for any child development. We want them to model positive behavior. So we provide as much positive reinforcement that we can."
Brent Billingsley: "Art was always something that I wanted to do as it pertained to engagement with this population. So the art allows, the kids have to drop their guard. So now you're saying is how you feeling today? So now you're talking. And the next thing, they're telling you everything because they're relaxed they're comfortable, you know, they're focusing on something else."
Lisa Morgan: "You got to come with compassion. You have to come with a sense of humility."
Steve Nauman: "Sometimes it takes courage to say, it doesn't look like we've made much progress today, but I'm going to come back again tomorrow and try again."
McCormick Lucke: "On those days. It's good to look back and be able to remind myself like there is a difference that's happening. I am changing the outcome. I'm making a difference."
Morgan McDermott: "They kids see you and they have an adult in their life that they can count on and it's pretty neat. So that's what brings me back. That and my coworkers, they are all very awesome and supportive."
Kat Moore: "We always have each other's backs. So I would not want to be anywhere else."
Lisa Morgan: "We show up every day. We come back every day saying we could make a difference."
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