Hello, and welcome back to another Day in the Life of an Ascend team member! Today, we’re going to be exploring someone on the education side of things at our residential treatment facilities. Every facility is a little different, as the treatment plans are customized to the specific needs of our clients. While you might have seen how education looks from Hernst’s perspective at Trails, it’s time to take a look at how one of our other educators approaches their work. Follow along as we introduce you to Michelle, an educator at Empress.
What is an Educator?
When kids come to Ascend, they’re not living their regular lives, but they still need to keep up with their schooling for when they re-integrate back into the real world. So that means going to school while they’re still in treatment. At Ascend, we have a position that runs the classroom, guiding students through individual homework assignments and working with each student’s teachers outside of our program to ensure they’re staying on track.
At Empress, Michelle is the one who holds the keys to learning by connecting clients, school faculty, and parents. As she works to coordinate education for up to six clients at a time, Michelle engages them in various educational activities that help them earn credits for the future and keep them growing while in the classroom.
Michelle Before Ascend
Before joining Ascend, Michelle actually worked for Disney! While she may not have been in the parks every day, her corporate accounting work was a lot of responsibility. So, how do you go from being an accountant to joining the mental health community? Michelle had always been passionate about mental health due to her own healing journey. It’s no wonder that passion led her to Ascend!
Getting Into Mental Health
When Michelle left corporate accounting, she actually had no idea where she was going next. She just knew that accounting wasn’t the fulfilling career she wanted — she wanted to make real, positive changes in people’s lives. So when Noah, a friend of hers who also works at Ascend, told her about an open position as a mentor at one of our facilities, she took him up on the offer.
Michelle felt a little bit like she was taking a step back and starting her career over — a scary moment that felt overwhelming. But something inside her urged her onward. On Michelle’s first day, she immediately fell in love with the work, a confirmation that this was the right choice for her life. Working for Ascend felt like fate, and just a few months later, Michelle went back to school to pursue a Master of Social Work degree so she could transition into the clinical side of mental health treatment.
Why Ascend
Ascend for Michelle was the spark that ignited a career that she’s so passionate about, but there’s so much more that she loves about working with our team. Michelle finds her work with us fulfilling in a way that accounting never was. Because she feels like a kid at heart, connecting with our clients was easy. Michelle also loves working with and learning from the many skilled professionals who make up the Ascend community. She continues to work with us because she knows everyone here truly cares about each client’s journey toward balanced mental health and a thriving, happy life.
Finding Personal Growth
While she started at Ascend in an entry-level position, Michelle found a ton of encouragement for both her personal and professional growth. She went from a Mentor position to an Educator position and will soon be starting a new role as a Social Work intern at Magnolia House.
Pursuing higher education is the best way she can think of to provide even more support to our clients while filling her life with meaning and purpose. She finds that having God in her life has been a big motivator for living an intentional life that prioritizes compassion and love.
We Love Michelle!
We’ve already shared many amazing things about Michelle, but there’s so much more to her work at Ascend. She shows compassion and patience in every situation, helping our clients understand they’re valued and appreciated just for being their authentic selves. She nurtures their confidence in a way that motivates them to succeed in their educational endeavors in her classroom and life in general! We’ve loved watching Michelle become an integral part of their support system while clients are in treatment with us.
For Michelle, Ascend represents compassion, trust, and a high level of care, so she strives to meet those same metrics in her own role as an educator (soon-to-be intern). With an emphasis on empathy and a holistic approach to well-being, Michelle works with her supervisors and the rest of our clinical team to provide the most supportive and healing environment possible.
A Day in Her Life
When Michelle arrives at Ascend in the morning, she jumps in right away with the first class of the day. They usually share their intentions and work goals for their time in class to keep them accountable and help Michelle track their needs. After the first class session ends, Michelle heads to the floor to support mentors and clinicians until her next class period.
Between the second and third class periods, you might find Michelle emailing parents, writing clinical notes, coordinating with schools, and tidying up the classroom. She also keeps an ear out for what mentors and clients require throughout the day, as she can step back into the mentor role as needed.
More About Ascend
Having Michelle on our team is just one reason Ascend can offer a top-quality residential treatment center for teens. The best thing is we have tons of other staff members who are just as amazing as Michelle. Learn more about everyone on our team when you keep up with us on our blog!
