Connect: April 2018 Issue
Consumers, staff, volunteers and friends of Journey will be featured in a new social media campaign titled, “This is my Journey.”
The campaign will kick off in May with Mental Health Awareness Month and will run through November, according to Pooja Mehta, campaign chair.
Pooja, a project manager at Verona-based Epic, came to Journey as a volunteer but has quickly gained the admiration and respect of Journey staff and board members with her ideas, enthusiasm and project management skills.
“I live with the mental illness, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come and how far I will be going,” she said. “This project is important to me because I do believe, and research shows, that recovery is enhanced when people open up and talk about their journey.”
Pooja was instrumental in forming a NAMI student chapter at Duke University, her alma mater.
If you would like to participate in the campaign, please email Mike Wiltse, associate director of communications.
Connect recently sat down with Journey’s chief clinical officer Tanya Lettman-Shue to talk about innovation, quality and vision for the future.
Connect: How is the mental health and addiction treatment world changing?
TANYA: We are being asked by our consumers and funders to provide evidence that the services Journey provides are successful. They want to know that the consumers involved in those services are reporting decreased symptoms, increased functioning in their day-to-day lives, and greater connection in their community.
Connect: What do you see as Journey’s biggest innovation during your career?
TANYA: It will be when we go live with our Electronic Health Record. Technology and the ability for the consumer and Journey staff to be connected and interface electronically will improve outcomes.
Connect: How does Journey ensure quality?
TANYA: There is an incredible amount of work done on the front lines each and every day to ensure quality at Journey. Our clinicians receive rigorous, extensive and ongoing professional training. Committees, comprised of Journey staff and consumers, address quality issues in policy, continuous quality improvement, diversity and inclusion.
Connect: Where do you see Journey in five years?
TANYA: I think we will be a leading advocate for people living with mental illness. We are going to partner with organizations that believe in our mission, vision and values. We will employ a highly trained workforce and provide a very attractive workplace.
TANYA LETTMAN-SHUE VITALS:
Family: Married to Greg Shue in 2001. Proud parents of 14-year-old twins, Hannah and Sarah Shue.
Hobbies: Camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, snowshoeing, standup paddle boarding,
Residence: Fitchburg, Wisconsin
Did you know Journey has approximately 40 interns working at any point during the year? They are mostly students pursuing master’s- and doctoral-level degrees. We also work with a few undergraduate students.
Internships last anywhere between nine to 12 months. Students come to Journey from the following university programs:
- UW-Madison School of Social Work
- UW-Madison Counseling Department
- UW-Madison Clinical Psychology Department
- UW-Madison Rehab Psychology Department
- UW-Whitewater Mental Health Counseling Department
- Edgewood College Marriage and Family Department
“By serving as the training ground for our next generation of clinicians, Journey is developing a highly qualified and ongoing pool of talented candidates in Dane County and beyond,” says Bob Stindt, Journey’s clinical internship program manager.
“Clinical interns bring a fresh way of looking at clinical approaches that are currently being taught in universities and colleges,” Bob says. “They are passionate and bring new ideas. They help keep our programs energized.”
Interns at Journey work only with prescreened clients who are receptive to it. For individuals and families with immediate needs, this can be a valuable service.
If you have questions or would like more information, please email Bob at bob.stindt@journeymhc.org.
The important role that Journey’s Emergency Services Unit plays in Madison and Dane County was highlighted on Thursday, April 5 when Crisis Worker Sarah Hendrickson was honored by NAMI Dane County with their “Mental Health Professional” award.
After decades of strong partnership, Journey and the MPD formed a pilot program in January 2015 that placed a Journey crisis worker on-site at the station to consult with MPD mental health liaison officers, follow-up on cases, and when appropriate, respond to emerging crisis situations. Through a lot of hard work by the Emergency Services Unit, the pilot was successful, and the county agreed to both expand and fund it.
Journey’s partnership with the MPD continues to flourish today – it garners a lot of media attention which Sarah handles eloquently. The success is due to the hard work and the dedication of our entire Emergency Services Unit, and Sara’s passion and dedication to people in a mental health emergency. The County is committed to funding the position in the future, and that would not happen if not for the dedication of the entire team.
Congratulations to Sarah and the entire Emergency Services Unit team. Well done!