Sixth Edition Marquis Who’s Who INSIGHT 15 INSIGHT MARQUIS WHO′S WHO SIXTH EDITION SPRING 2024 hopes to establish special programs for the youth in her community and further her industry knowledge. What are two key behaviors/personality traits that allow you to be effective in your role? Being empathetic and my life experiences – those are the main things. I’ve had so many different experiences in life that, without those experiences, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’ve had people ask me, “If you could go back in your past and change something, what would you change?” The answer is I wouldn’t change a thing, no matter what it was – I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have those experiences. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? So far, suicidal ideation is a big challenge. I find kids today are having a harder time coping with challenges. My theory is one of the issues is that parents aren’t really parenting like they used to; kids are getting raised on devices like tablets, computers, phones and social media. When they reach their teenage years, and parents try to discipline them, the kids freak out. They don’t know how to cope without their phone because it was taken away. I dislike it when parents don’t realize that things like social media and electronics are literally an addiction – they want to discipline their kids by taking them away, and that’s like making the kids go cold turkey. You can’t take something away completely like that because they don’t know how to cope. That’s how they function. Without them, they self-destruct. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved? One of the ways that changed is how we interact with the kids. Before, we were always pushing kids to finish school and go to college. Now, we’re trying to do more self-care and mental health awareness. When the kids come to the hospital, we tell them, “This is how you have coping skills, and you want to do mindfulness and self-care,” instead of saying, “Go to school, earn good grades, and be successful in life.” What innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? There are great mindfulness apps that people can download on their phones, which help in meditation, counting their breathing, and just being more aware of your surroundings instead of with your eyes down on your phone. What excites you the most about your industry? There’s still a chance to help children with mental health awareness. If I work in the adult unit, the adults are set in their ways – all they want is their medication, and they want to do what they need to do to be discharged. With the kids, I can make an impact before they’re set on their ways, and I can bring more awareness to them. Adults can do something, but they choose not to; they complain, whereas kids are more helpless and ordered to follow their parents’ directives. We can really help change how kids view things and learn and guide them in directing their lives and becoming independent and successful members of society.
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