WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:04.350 --> 00:00:07.890 Kandace Lucas: My name is Kandace Lucas I work with the crisis team. 00:00:07.890 --> 00:00:10.815 I'm the day shift supervisor and I've been with Jefferson Center for eight years. 00:00:11.850 --> 00:00:15.060 So initially when I went to school I wanted to be a veterinarian. 00:00:15.510 --> 00:00:18.510 And turns out after taking several classes that I really 00:00:18.510 --> 00:00:20.340 don't like biology that much. 00:00:21.360 --> 00:00:25.860 And so I had taken a psych class and really liked it and decided 00:00:25.860 --> 00:00:27.120 to change my major to that. 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:33.754 Initially when I got into mental health it was with a residential 00:00:33.754 --> 00:00:35.765 treatment facility for children. 00:00:36.004 --> 00:00:42.185 So I worked for four years in residential treatment with children ages four to 15. 00:00:42.815 --> 00:00:45.364 And I worked my way up to supervisor there. 00:00:45.545 --> 00:00:49.745 And it was during that time that I decided I wanted to become a therapist. 00:00:50.345 --> 00:00:52.834 So I decided to go back and get my master's degree. 00:00:52.905 --> 00:00:57.254 I just felt like there was something missing from what I was doing. 00:00:57.555 --> 00:01:01.989 And I really realized that I liked the the crisis aspect of the work. 00:01:02.440 --> 00:01:06.820 And so I, when I started looking for jobs I interviewed 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:09.789 here and haven't looked back. 00:01:11.049 --> 00:01:16.750 Here at Crisis we honestly offer a bunch of different services because 00:01:17.199 --> 00:01:19.299 crisis is really defined by the client. 00:01:19.299 --> 00:01:23.620 And so depending on what they come in with we can offer different things. 00:01:24.609 --> 00:01:28.120 So on this as crisis clinicians, we do a lot of case management. 00:01:28.990 --> 00:01:34.180 We do some like housing type work, we do crisis interventions, 00:01:34.660 --> 00:01:36.340 we do hospital placement. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:40.570 We offer a service called mobile crisis where we'll actually come 00:01:40.570 --> 00:01:45.340 out to you if you have trouble getting to us for any reason. 00:01:45.789 --> 00:01:50.979 It's honestly easier to explain what crisis doesn't do than it's 00:01:50.979 --> 00:01:52.144 to explain exactly what we do. 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.060 There's no such thing as a normal day at the crisis center, but I 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:02.769 probably come in check my email, see what's gone on overnight. 00:02:03.039 --> 00:02:04.570 We do have three shifts here. 00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:10.389 We are here 24/7 and so I just need to be aware of what's happened 00:02:10.870 --> 00:02:12.610 the last two shifts since I left. 00:02:12.700 --> 00:02:15.070 And then we take walk-ins as they come in. 00:02:15.070 --> 00:02:17.709 So honestly, it's a little different every day. 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:23.720 I don't have a regular day, but that's probably as close as I can get. 00:02:27.470 --> 00:02:31.370 It's successful anytime we can get a client into services. 00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:38.959 But one that probably really sticks out would be a client that I had, 00:02:38.959 --> 00:02:40.640 that I actually answered the phone. 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:46.125 This client wouldn't give me really any information other than I had a first 00:02:46.125 --> 00:02:50.534 name and they were highly suicidal. 00:02:50.834 --> 00:02:56.505 Basically already had a means ready and were ready to act on that, and 00:02:57.015 --> 00:03:02.594 so I was able to get the client set up for services the next day. 00:03:02.854 --> 00:03:07.640 Crisis saved their life that day and so that's definitely one that I hold onto 00:03:07.640 --> 00:03:09.290 when it's been a really hard day here. 00:03:09.350 --> 00:03:12.110 I think one of the biggest things I've learned doing this for so long, and 00:03:12.110 --> 00:03:15.170 probably one thing that the people that are here that have done this 00:03:15.170 --> 00:03:19.130 even longer than me would tell you is you never stop learning in this job. 00:03:20.215 --> 00:03:22.315 I learn something new every day. 00:03:22.915 --> 00:03:27.565 I teach interns in my role and that's probably one of the first things 00:03:27.565 --> 00:03:32.065 I tell them is I learn something new with every client that I see. 00:03:32.185 --> 00:03:36.595 And then I think another big thing you learn pretty immediately working in crisis 00:03:36.595 --> 00:03:38.785 is just not to take things personally. 00:03:39.355 --> 00:03:44.035 When people come in crisis, a lot of times their tone of voice 00:03:44.035 --> 00:03:46.150 is maybe agitated or angry. 00:03:46.750 --> 00:03:50.680 Some people will yell like towards you, but that doesn't mean that 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:52.510 they're yelling necessarily at you. 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:57.820 And so it's it's a lot of just making sure that you're keeping yourself 00:03:57.820 --> 00:04:00.579 calm and not taking things personally. 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:04.360 Outside of work I'm a mom, I have two beautiful kids. 00:04:05.170 --> 00:04:07.600 A lot of my life outside of work revolves around them. 00:04:08.980 --> 00:04:10.810 We do archery together as a family. 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:13.930 So that's something that we enjoy doing. 00:04:13.930 --> 00:04:15.250 We'll go and shoot arrows. 00:04:15.940 --> 00:04:16.149 Yeah. 00:04:16.825 --> 00:04:18.135 We're competitive with each other. 00:04:18.245 --> 00:04:18.534 Yeah. 00:04:19.810 --> 00:04:20.140 It's fun. 00:04:21.219 --> 00:04:23.920 Honestly, one of my favorite things about Jefferson Center is they 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:30.520 really seem to care about their employees as well as their clients. 00:04:31.380 --> 00:04:33.240 And I think that's really important. 00:04:34.590 --> 00:04:40.980 Working in community mental health can be really difficult and I think 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:46.650 it's important that you work to keep the people that want to do that. 00:04:47.159 --> 00:04:49.260 And I think the Jefferson Center does a good job of that.