With Love
In my interview for a direct care job at The Oakley School, the Director of Student Life asked me why I thought I would want to do this work. I didn’t have an articulate answer. I’m sure I said something about wanting to make an impact or believing in my work. She likely assumed that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was 22 and agreeing to work in a dorm full of teenage boys. Looking back, what felt right was the human connection with these kids, who were on their own challenging journeys. Despite the difficulties, work brought fun, play, and lighthearted interactions during a tough time.
The Oakley School kicked off a nearly 20 year career in this field that I could not have predicted. With every stop I have gathered wisdom, connection, relationships and experience you can’t learn from sitting in a classroom. I have learned what kind of leader I want to be, what kind of colleague I want to be and the imprint I want to leave.,
I am choosing to close my chapter in mental health at a time where I have deep love and respect for what I do and the people I have chosen to work with. I am proud of the program we built in ROOTs. I am in awe of the personal and professional growth that has occurred while building this program and being committed, as a team, to doing things differently. Making the choice to put a book end on my career in this field has taken time and trust. Trust in myself and in leaving at a time when the act of leaving brings me great heartache because of the deep connection to the team and the work that exists. I am holding great joy in the intention to leave in this way.
This rite of passage comes with a few hopes. My hope for the evolution of this field is that people continue to build smart businesses so that they can be steadfast in doing good work in the face of hard times and decisions. I hope that the cobwebs in the corners of neglected programming get cleared to allow sunlight to hold the work that families and clients need as opposed to treatment fitting into one box. And I hope we practice what we preach in taking care of each other and ourselves in order to show up fully.
I have gratitude for all of you. The relationships and friendships I have gathered over the years have been the gifts of my career. I am proud of the people I care about and respect who continue to do the good work. Please stay in touch – my phone number will stay the same.
My invitation. Do your own work. Don’t stay too long. Please remember, fear does not cultivate sound decisions.
We are planning to take our time and be very intentional in filling the Admissions Director role at ROOTs. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, please reach out to our team. We are also currently expanding our team at ROOTs – if you’d like to inquire about open positions, please reach out to hr@rootstransition.com or apply at our Employment Opportunities page.
