The Family Counseling Center is made up of amazing people – our staff, our board members, our volunteers, and our clients. Here are a few of our stories.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started with the Agency in October 2018.
What does your role entail?
I do all things HR, this means recruitment and hiring, onboarding of new employees, employee engagement activities, employee benefits, and so much more. I always keep our agency’s mission and corporate culture close to my heart. I work to improve HR processes and implement strategies that support growth for both the organization and our team members.
What do you like about your role?
I like being part of creating a culture of appreciation here. We are surrounded by amazing people and are helped by supportive leadership and, as the first person many people interact with, I find my role really important. I am a gatekeeper and a filter of sorts ensuring that our vision for the organization and the quality of our employees match our expectations for the highest quality of services we can provide.
I also live in our community and I recognize that the important work we do is deeply impactful on my neighbors. The Family Counseling Center’s reach is so much deeper than the clients we serve – the changes they make in their lives ripples through their families, their neighborhoods, and our community as a whole. I get to see it every day – both at work and at home.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
I got married in January and I’m excited to go on my honeymoon this spring, so that’s pretty exciting.
At work, I’m excited about growing our team and pushing hard to meet the needs of our community. I started in 2018 when we were just starting the process of planning our building expansion and renovation. For me, this is the first full year everyone will be under one roof and that’s exciting. We are also ramping up our employee engagement activities this year and I enjoy the way our team truly enjoys spending time with each other.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in January 2016 – wow 7 years!
What roles have you held at The Family Counseling Center?
I was hired with the title “Operations Assistant,” and helped the Billing/Operations Manager. At one point I was also the Front Desk Supervisor. As the organization grew there was an opening in the Billing Department and I moved to this role.
What does your role entail today?
I handle billing for half of our partner insurance companies. I work really hard to help investigate why claims are not accepted. I reach out to clients, therapist, and others to get the answer and get the client’s claim paid. I also answer billing questions clients have – even therapists too! Therapists and our medical providers sometimes have questions about billing and I’m always happy to help them find the answers.
What do you like about your role?
I love that since the pandemic I’ve been able to work fully remote. It gives me the flexibility I need as a single mom of three kids and The Family Counseling Center understands that sometimes I may need to adjust my schedule because of the kids.
I also like that I get to see the fruits of my labor. I work to fight for clients and when a denied insurance claim gets paid it is so rewarding. I really try to advocate for the clients as much as possible.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
My love watching my kids grow and evolve. I have two teenagers now and it’s been amazing to me to watch them change. I’m here to help them in that last leg of growth as they become adults and I am really enjoying the process (and headaches) that come with it. I would really like to carve out a few vacations this year too.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started here June 6, 2022.
What does your role entail?
Mental Health Counseling is using a series of evidence based practices to help people solve problems. That’s the technical answer but really, my role is to provide people with a safe space to get to know themselves better and decide what they want to do with that knowledge. I help them to discover the path they want to take.
What do you like about your role?
Oh wow, so many things! I like being a support to people as they realize their motivations and actions. I love the freedom to take the interventions I find the most interesting and that I think will be of greatest benefit on a client’s journey and work with them to build a plan that best meets their needs.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
Well, I’m getting married in March so I am pretty excited about that. I get to marry someone who is simply the best! Professionally, I am hoping to take my exam in March so that I can get closer to receiving my L – so I will be an LMHC. My goal is to have my full L by December. I’m excited about the sense of accomplishing this goal – it’s something I set for myself and I’m nearly there!
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started working at The Family Counseling Center almost two years ago. I came into a School-Based Intervention Counselor role mid-year.
What roles have you held at The Family Counseling Center?
I started out as a School-Based Intervention Counselor at Gloversville Middle School and Johnstown High School. I’ve also been the Community Outreach Specialist at Johnstown High School. This September, I moved into the Mobile Crisis Counselor role so now I work with students across Fulton County.
What does your role entail today?
I work with students in severe crisis and partner with them to de-escalate the situation. I assess their emotional state and, if possible, the student and I work together to create a plan for safety so that they can get back to their regular routine and back to their school-day. Sometimes we can’t de-escalate the crisis so I work to try and get the student into a safe mental space so that they can be transported to the services they need.
What do you like about your role?
I’ve always wanted to work with students and this gives me a chance to get to know them on a personal level really quickly. I do a lot of post-crisis check-ins as well. Students need to know that someone understands them and care even when they aren’t in crisis – that I’m there to listen and help no matter what.
What don’t you like about your job?
The toughest part of my job is something that we all face in the mental-health field – I can’t help everyone. I hate having to have a student or a school wait for me to respond simply because I’m helping someone else.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
Professionally, I’m really excited to get more kids onto therapist caseloads so that they can be helped. I’m also looking forward to starting group sessions with students at schools. Personally? I’m saving up and hope to buy my first house toward the end of the year. I’m also looking forward to running more marathons in 2023 – and maybe even an ultramarathon too!
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started with the Agency in August 2021 as a School Based Intervention Counselor working at East Hill School in Canajoharie. I transitioned into the Supervisor position this August.
What does your role entail today?
I work with all 11 School Based Intervention Counselors in Fulton and Montgomery counties. We are currently in Gloversville, Johnstown, Canajoharie, and Fort Plain school districts. I act as the main conduit of information between The Family Counseling Center and our school-based counselors. I get to visit with each counselor monthly, check in with them, and see what we can do to help them best meet their role’s needs. Each counselor has a unique role just like each school is different. I also work with school administrators to ensure our working relationship can have the biggest impact in the lives of the kids we help.
What do you like about your role?
I loved being a School Based Intervention Counselor so I really enjoy still being able to keep in touch with schools and sometimes even see my old students. Social/emotional learning is a very important piece of a child’s development and schools play a vital part in that growth. I am also so grateful for our school-based counselors. They are great at their jobs, truly remarkable individuals, and work really hard – I’m lucky to be able to provide support to them.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
I’m working on getting my Masters’ Degree in Social Work and I am looking forward to continuing that journey. My goal is to transition into a therapist role at The Family Counseling Center once I’m done with my degree. I also have a small event planning business called Events by Francesca and I’m excited to see how it grows. I want to keep line dancing, I do it weekly and really enjoy it. I love to travel and I have some big plans in the works for 2023…and I’m excited to train and run my first 5K this year!
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in January of 2020 as the Operations Manager. Initially, my role was to oversee the front desk staff and to assist the Clinic Director with reporting requirements for therapists but soon everything changed and I quickly transitioned into the logistics of COVID.
What does your role entail today?
Today, my role is the Assistant Director of Operations, overseeing the Front Office and Medication Clinic, agency operations, as well as the Interim Program Manager overseeing the Fulton County Domestic Violence Program.
What do you like about your job(s)?
I love being able to help people. I truly appreciate that all of our staff have the same goal of helping the people we serve and I feel it is something I haven’t experienced at other organizations. All of us are focused on helping the people we serve.
I’m also a process person and in my role I help to create clear processes so that programs can run more efficiently, helping more people. Little things like reducing the number of steps needed to access a program, or cleaning up a reference guide actually creates big changes as a whole.
What don’t you like about your job(s)?
There are people in our community that fall through the cracks. They are struggling with their mental health or domestic violence and need help but for various reasons cannot access the proper resources. Because of the rural areas in which we operate, there may be barriers to care including stigma, transportation, or they may be just beyond the threshold of State programs. I wish we could help everyone who needed our services and care.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I love learning new programs and new aspects of The Family Counseling Center’s overall operations. My interim role with the Domestic Violence Program has been really rewarding and I’m excited help create a positive impact. On the Clinic side, I am excited about helping to roll out the Open Access program, reducing our waitlist from three months to less than 24 hours. The waitlist is a major barrier to care. Folks are so brave when the call us seeking assistance and I am happy that we will be able to see them relatively quickly once the Open Access program is up and running.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I was introduced to the idea of The Family Counseling Center through an acquaintance that I worked with in Amsterdam. John Pegg pulled the volunteer counselors together and I worked with six other counselors from different backgrounds and experiences. I worked from Sacred Heart Church in Tribes Hill and saw clients in a donated space there. I left around 1985 when the Center began to hire full-time staff.
What were your roles?
As a volunteer counselor, my worked focused mainly on children with behavioral issues and their parents. My work was child-based and I used a reflective approach to be another set of eyes and ears. I loved being able to provide support and work with parents to better meet their child’s needs.
Why did you get involved with The Family Counseling Center?
My education was in counseling and I received a 6th year degree in counseling from the University of Bridgeport. I was a teacher at the time for troubled kids and was called more to helping them through counseling services.
The Family Counseling Center was really the only organization working with children and families in the area at the time. I liked the work of helping kids and their families right in the community in which they lived. The name says it all “family counseling,” family has always been at the center of the work the organization does.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I have six grandchildren – four in Broadalbin-Perth and two in Georgia. I love spending time with them and it’s always an experience that I look forward to. I am fortunate to live near the water, either in Broadalbin or in the winter sun of Florida. I’m most looking forward to spending more time with family and friends on the water and just enjoying the experiences with them.
The Family Counseling Center has surpassed our wildest dreams. I’m so proud of the work that laid the foundation to help develop family and community strength.
*Photo taken August 2021. Janice Tucci is shown with Michael Countryman after a tour of the new facility during construction.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in 1996 and will have been with the organization 26 years in February. It’s been a long time and I’ve seen the agency grow and change but our work and goal is always the same – to help families.
What roles have you had?
Oh, there have been so many! I started out as the Front Office Manager, then I was the Administrative Assistant for the Family Based Treatment program, Intake Case Manager, Mental Health Admin Manager, Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Assistant to the Clinic, Executive Administrative Assistant, Revenue Cycle Manager, and now Executive Administrative Assistant. In each role I have learned more about how the organization works and, while I have enjoyed everything, my heart is really in the work the Clinic does.
What do you like about your job?
We are here because we love what we do. When I started working at the agency 26 years ago, I didn’t really know much about mental health or the serious ways it can impact our lives. We have all been impacted in one way or another by mental health crises and The Family Counseling Center is here to help individuals and their loved ones. The work has been tremendously fulfilling.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited about the new roles I can fill in 2022 as my work expands to assisting many of the directors of the agency.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I joined the Board of Directors in 2000. Since that time, I have seen the organization grow and expand but always stay true to its goal of meeting the needs of the community. The founders of our organization, the members of the Board who have contributed over the last 46 years – they have truly worked to build partnerships, services, and a foundation for success.
What does your role entail today?
Being a Board Member, you have the challenge of – How do you help the agency achieve its goals, providing the support and guidance needed? Our role has a fiduciary responsibility to it, but it also means that we keep an eye to the future and help to lay the ground for strategic success. Most recently, the building expansion project was a major strategic project that we all worked so hard on. The purpose and the driving force for the expansion was to create an environment that allows The Family Counseling Center to build and grow.
What do you like about your role?
I feel as though the work I do as a Board Member helps the organization make progress toward its goals, helps to create an environment that will ensure our continued success and has an impact not only on the organization but in the community as well. I believe that volunteering in general really sets an example in the community – everyone does a little to create a stronger, better place to live.
Do you have a particular success that comes to mind?
Well, when I started, our Domestic Violence safe dwelling was actually two apartments in a complex. That set-up wasn’t working well and the Board of Directors worked with leadership staff to determine what was needed in order to provide a safe and welcoming space for DV survivors. Our work meant searching for a new location (a full house), finding the money to renovate, and so much more. It was a huge project and a huge achievement!
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited to see the world begin to open up again and get back on its axis. The last few years have been so stifling for children and for the adults who have been trying to manage work, home, health, worries, and so much more all in an environment that has been pretty isolating. Humans need to see and interact with other humans, it’s just how we are built and being so isolated isn’t healthy for our souls. This year I’m most looking forward to travelling – it’s where I learn and grow. I have trips in the works and I cannot wait!
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started with the agency in 2002. I’ve always been with Children & Family Services but my role has changed over the years as our programming has grown and changed. I became a certified Family Peer Advocate in 2011.
What does your role entail today?
I work with families to empower them, helping and supporting them as they work through the systems of care (state, local) as they advocate for their child. I run a weekly support group, do information mailings to my client families letting them know about community resources and opportunities, and work one-on-one with individual families as well. The whole goal is to coach and support the families so that they are empowered enough to then advocate on their own. I really enjoy seeing them as they move toward that empowerment.
What do you like about your role?
Right now, I like the hours – they help for a happy work/life balance. As for working directly with the families, I enjoy interacting with families who embrace the work. In small towns and in extended families, it can be tough to make the changes and begin to self-advocate in some ways and the work toward empowerment can be hard and scary. It is amazing to see, however, how when the families are at the point where they are able to truly self-advocate on behalf of their child. The work I do is a piece of it, but the families themselves are making a positive change that can last generations.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited to get new systems perfected in that there is a methodology to the work that I do and it’s important to work with the families through the process. I’m excited to have families lined up and ready to start their journey.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I began working at The Family Counseling in September 2021.
What does your role entail today?
I go to schools within Fulton County, having been called by school administration to evaluate and work with a child in severe crisis. I go to schools to fist assess the individual in crisis. My goal is to either get them to a point where they can go back to class and continue their day or to get them in a safe place (mentally and physically) where their next day will be better.
The kids are always the main priority. I work to make sure the kids understand I’m there to help and not judge. I work to make them feel comfortable and build their trust.
What do you like about your role?
I like being able to build my skills with each visit. Every time I go to a crisis call, I feel like I know more, have more tools to use, and that I can help that child to the best of my ability. I also believe that the follow-up is really important. I try not to be there only on their worst day but to also follow-up so that the child knows I listened to their concerns.
I also really like my colleagues at The Family Counseling Center. The work environment is great and the way we work together makes me feel like everyone’s skills and knowledge are seen and heard. My work in the Crisis Unit now means that all of us brainstorm and create collaborative action plans for certain cases. My work with the Children and Family Services team also is truly collaborative – we work together in order to help our clients succeed.
What don’t you like about your role?
I don’t like that we can’t help everyone. That’s a feeling a lot of us have. COVID has had such an impact in the lives of kids and the demand for my services is increasing daily. So many people need our services and it’s tough for me that we cannot help everyone immediately.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited to get out to create deeper partnerships and working groups with the community. I want to help create something clients and the community at large can hold on to, by that I mean I want to build our partnerships and the community’s awareness of the resources that are on-hand for them when they need it. More than that, I am excited to see what we can do to help people have pride in our community.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in 2011 – I’m coming up on 11 years in June. When I left school I was instructed that it’s important to move to a new agency every five years, and I did that for a portion of my career, but when I got to The Family Counseling Center I decided I liked the population with whom we work so much I wanted to stay. Over the last eleven years, I have been so happy working with my clients and I’ve gained confidence as a therapist.
What does your role entail today?
I’ve been a therapist from the beginning, though my locations have changed. When I began, I worked at Park Terrace school in Gloversville two days a week. In the beginning, I mainly worked with children and over the years all of my kids have grown up. Right now I have three teenagers that I work with from that original group. I also work with adults. My main areas are anxiety, depression, and relationship issues including Domestic Violence.
What do you like about your job(s)?
I like seeing the change in my clients over time. The people we see at The Family Counseling Center have amazing success stories and you can see the changes and growth they undergo as they conquer their fears through therapy and gain coping skills to move through life.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m looking forward to getting back to “regular” life. The world is beginning to open up again and that makes me very excited. I’d also like to take an online photography course to enhance my skills and talent as a photographer. Little fun fact: I was once a wedding photographer on the weekends as a part-time job when I attended college at SUNY Oneonta.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I joined the board in 2017. I’ve served as the Board President and am now the Member-at-Large, sitting on the Executive Committee. Over the last five or six years, I’ve seen the organization become a comprehensive agency that functions smoothly and with a confidence that comes not only from the staff itself, but is reflected in community we work.
What does your role entail today?
As a Board Member of The Family Counseling Center, I share the responsibility to keep the agency on course even when the world changes – like during COVID. The Board often acts as a touchstone for the administration, keeping an eye always on our mission and our strategic plans. The Board provides support to the agency when they need it.
I am also the President of the agency’s Foundation. The Foundation’s main role is to ensure the very best for the agency, investing and spending money in order to secure the organization. We are the caretakers of the agency’s future, working to ensure finances are available into perpetuity.
Both roles require a lot of teamwork. The Board works together and we also work with the agency’s leadership all with a common goal of success and impact.
What do you like about your role?
Being a Board Member is an act of community service and what I like most about it is the teamwork that goes along with the role. We have rich and vibrant conversations in order to tackle problems, and we celebrate successes as a team as well. It’s a profound experience to work in a collaborative group and I’m proud to be part of that process.
Do you have a particular success that comes to mind?
The building and expansion project has been an amazing feat. We put the shovel in the ground in March 2020, a day after the pandemic was announced and things began to shut down. It was a heavy lift and we all did it, but the process was an emotional one – today we are surrounded by a beautiful and functional space and that is a success.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m about to become a grandmother for the first time so that pretty much trumps everything else going on but I am looking forward to a time when our struggles are muted a little, when the pandemic eases and we can work with the known unknowns of regular day-to-day living and organizational operations. I’m optimistic and excited about that.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in January of 2021.
What does your role entail?
I work primarily with kids and teens, though I do have some adult clients. Some days my work is that of a traditional therapist, asking questions and going back and forth with a client as they process, other days my sessions are super interactive where we have conversations while throwing a ball around outside or doing a scavenger hunt inside of the facility.
What do you like about your job?
I love working with kids and teens. They can have such a hard time finding their voice and their role in the world. Youth don’t necessarily have a lot of control over their lives nor are they provided personal agency. I work with my clients to learn how to prioritize their needs.
I love the clients with whom I work and the caseload here is good too. I really love being here and present in the lives of my clients.
What don’t you like about your job?
I’ve been in the field for a long time and I understand different aspects of mental healthcare – the rules and regulations and the bureaucracy that can come from state and national levels. Sometimes the policies change very fast and it can be difficult for my clients to understand and they sometimes take the change personally because what can make sense on a higher level can be difficult to implement directly with clients.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m hoping for a controlled and safe path to normalcy again. We’ve been so removed from life and one another and I can’t wait to be able to feel both safe and social. I’d like to think that when this is past us the world will be kind to one another still.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in 2004. I’ve always been in some part a transcriptionist but I’ve also helped cover the front office, typed up Board minutes and filled in as an LPN for a spell at one point.
What does your role entail?
Today, I do transcription full-time for the agency. I listen to the dictations from our medical providers and update client files. I have a background in the medical field and it gives me a wonderful perspective when I am transcribing notes.
What do you like about your job?
I love what I do full stop. It feels as if I am contributing to the overall health of a client. Good documentation helps clients and ensures a continuity of care wherever they go. The more information that is in a client file the fuller story it tells when a medical professional works with them for care.
What don’t you like about your job?
When I transcribe I need to give my full attention to the work – and that means a lot of sitting! I try to get up and move around a bit but, really, most of my day is spent in my chair at my computer.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m looking forward to getting rid of the pandemic and the constraints we’ve been living with – in a workable and safe fashion. We’ve had so much disruption in our lives and I’m looking forward to living life again.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started working for The Family Counseling Center in May 2020 as a Front Desk Administrator. It was a little weird working in a nearly-empty building mid-pandemic but it fit my schedule and my career goals well – the part-time job at The Family Counseling Center was a great “in” for someone going to grad school to be a therapist.
Today, I chip in at the front desk when needed but I’m also an intern getting my clinical hours in for my Masters Degree. I graduate in August.
What does your role entail?
Working the Front Desk, you get to meet and know everyone – staff and clients. I very much enjoyed the building opening up and getting to see the people I’d spoken to on the phone for so long.
As an intern, I provide therapy and work with a wide variety of clients. I’m supervised by a mentor therapist and everyone else has been so helpful. I feel like I’ve gotten tons of experience in a really supporting environment.
What do you like about your job(s)?
I like the people – our clients, our community. My role as a therapist, especially as one with a background in social work, is to partner with my clients and help them build a happy and safe life. Being able to hear their stories and connect with them in order to build a healthy life is really fulfilling.
What don’t you like about your job(s)?
I don’t like the worry that comes with being a therapist – but that’s just the nature of the job. Is there something I’ve missed or that I can do better with? I think that comes with experience and each day I gain a little more.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m really excited about starting my journey as a therapist. I graduate in August and I am going to be starting full-time as a therapist at The Family Counseling Center in the fall. I knew from the moment I took the Front Desk position that this is the role I wanted and I’m happy to see all my work – at school and at the organization – come to fruition. I’m also looking forward to spending time with my partner, our four cats and new puppy.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I joined the Board of Directors in 2019. It happened around the time I purchased the local radio station, WENT. As a new member of the community, joining The Family Counseling Center Board of Directors was a warm and productive welcome.
What does your role entail today?
Board Members have the job of oversite and monitoring the overall organization. We help to move the organization forward and be ready to face the newest challenges coming up in the mental health field and in the community in order to be both productive and relevant.
What do you like about your role?
I like the sense of doing some good for the community and helping both the clients and the people who serve them.
Do you have a particular success that comes to mind?
The new building, of course, is a major success and one we are all very proud of. Right now though, the board and leadership staff have worked on creating a strategic plan. This strategic plan is like a roadmap for our organization’s future and it’s not just for us – it helps to set the foundation for our work in a changing mental health environment as well.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited to see people’s faces again and the world opening back up. In my professional life, my business is expanding in 2022, an expansion that will allow us to reach deeper into the community and that makes me very excited.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I joined the Board in March 2018.
What does your role entail today?
This year I am serving as the Vice President of the Board, which means that I provide back up to the President and sit on the Executive Committee. Previously, I have been the Assistant Treasurer.
I think that being a board member has several important pieces. The first is that by being present and participating in the meetings, I help to guide organizational policy and help with keeping an eye on our strategic journey. All of us sit on committees and that helps to develop our involvement and knowledge of the agency in finer detail. It’s also my job to help promote The Family Counseling Center out in the community – letting people know who we are, what we do, and the impact we provide. Finally, I think that all board members on non-profit organizations like ours have a duty to financially support the organization, with either in kind or monetary donations. Giving is an additional indication of our belief in the work we do and commitment to the agency.
What do you like about your role?
The Family Counseling Center is a mission-driven organization and I like being part of the Board of Directors because it gives me a chance to help us fulfill that mission. I do good by volunteering my time – and my work helps the agency to do good for the community.
Do you have a particular success that comes to mind?
The project I feel I’ve been most connected to is our recent Strategic Plan. The process was so thought provoking and informative and showed us where our focus needs to be. Our consulting firm gave us a picture into other mental health facilities around the country and that helped educate us on what is coming and what we need to prepare for.
I’m also proud of how our organization quickly responded when COVID shut down in-person visits. down. We pivoted to telehealth almost immediately and were able to continue to provide care to our clients while also expanding our services into a Warm Line.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m happy to be able to interact with people again. We are a little freer, able to travel a little more. It feels like life is beginning to get back to normal and I’m excited about that.
When did you start?
I started in mid-April 2022 – so I have a few weeks under my belt!
What does your role entail?
I’m here to help the Clinic grow. That means not just the work we do as a Clinic but also the personal and professional growth of our clinicians. I’m also here to help create bridges – sharing our administrative goals and helping to align our programs and services to ensure we are filling the needs of the community.
What are your goals for your role?
I’m excited to get us fully staffed, ready to roll, and out in the community. There is a great need for the work we do at the agency and I’m looking forward to providing the services that will have the greatest impact.
What made you decide to work in the mental health field?
When I was younger, my dad used to hire random people to work on his bee farm with him. I clearly remember a man that was struggling with mental health at our house talking about how people were trying to poison him. It didn’t scare me, instead I clearly remember thinking that I wanted to be able to help people in difficult situations. I was so young that I can’t even remember how old I was, but the memory is really clear.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I like going out with my dogs for hikes and spending time with my friends and family.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m relocating from Syracuse to The Family Counseling Center so most of my time out of the office has been spent looking for a house. I’m excited to find a place to call home – hopefully soon!
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
My first day with the agency was April 10, 2000 – I can’t believe it’s been 22 years!
What roles have you held?
I began as the Chief Financial Officer and held that position for about 10 years. I then held both the CFO and Deputy Executive Director position for a bit before transitioning into the Executive Director. I’ve been ED for 12 years or so now.
What does your role entail today?
As Executive Director, my role is to keep abreast of changes in our industry and in the regulations that go along with the work we do. I’m also here to support the programs as they evolve to meet the needs of our community. I work closely with the board, making sure they are informed about high level changes in the organization and industry, along with our financial sustainability.
What do you like about your job?
I like that even though I’ve been with The Family Counseling Center for 22 years, I am still constantly learning. Our staff is so knowledgeable and the work they do so vital to the community that I learn from them every day. For example, the Crisis Team and DV Program are pretty much our version of first responders. Their work keeps us all grounded and aware of the importance of the work we do.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited about getting back into the world and learning how to navigate the “new normal” of society – who we are and how we interact in a pandemic world.
When did you start at The Family Counseling Center?
I started in February 2022. I moved up here after finishing my Masters at Long Island University and I am really loving living in the Capital District.
What does your role entail?
My work mainly focuses on young male adults. There are not many male therapists in the field and, on top of that, men maybe aren’t as keen to go into therapy either. I feel as if I am able to connect with these clients more. My role is to provide a lot of support as my clients make major changes and undergo growth themselves.
What do you like about your job?
There is something truly fulfilling about being part of someone’s introspective journey towards greater personal insight and wellbeing. It’s a unique and rare experience and I get to do it every day. I feel honored and humbled to work with my clients as they advocate for change in their lives.
As someone who recently graduated, I feel like the staff and leadership at The Family Counseling Center create a really supportive environment for my growth as a therapist. We leave school having focused so hard for six years on what the text books and instructors say and to practice in the real world – well, the supervisors get it. They get the work we do, they get the challenges we face, and they are here for us because the better we are, the greater impact we can have in session with clients and therefore in the community.
What are you most excited about in 2022?
I’m excited about exploring the Capital District and becoming more a part of the community. There is so much to do up here and I’m busy every weekend hiking or going to a new restaurant.
