Helping Mainers get the support they need

What type of work do you , and who are the clients that you work with? 

I’m a residential crisis worker. I think a lot of people are scared when they hear the word crisis, but it’s just people going through a hard time, whether it has to do with substances, past trauma, or loss of a loved one, it’s people needing people. And we have all needed people. 

How did you get into this line of work? 

I got into the field after meeting another person [who was in this line of work]. I mentioned that I wanted to get into a field where I could help people. I came from a really rough background myself and wanted to give back. He helped connect me with someone for an interview, and I jumped right on it. I just always felt like that’s where I belonged. 

What do you enjoy about your work? 

You are meeting people at a really rough time in their life. And we have all hit those periods where we are struggling. To get to be that person that is sitting there across from them, and just offer compassion, I think is huge. I definitely know for myself, if I had that back when I was going through my journey years ago, that would have helped tremendously. Now I get to be that person for somebody else. It’s so rewarding to see that look on somebody’s face when you tell them, ‘You’re not alone anymore’. It’s amazing. You can see the transition when people come in and then before they leave. They are so vibrant and are standing taller again. How can you not feel great when you know that you were just a tiny piece of the team that did that for somebody?

What types of skills and qualities does it take to be successful in this field? 

It’s important for patients to feel welcome enough to come out and talk, because there’s a lot of emotions that I think we all hold inside that need to come out. Really, it’s social support, so I’ll use different skills when talking to people, but I’m always showing empathy and being present for people. It’s just about being a friendly face.