BB2C Mental Health Job Shadow Day

All around us we hear the importance of mental health. In today’s world it is even more important than ever to have compassionate and caring people ready to help those in need. This support can mean the difference between life and death for some. Building Bridges to Careers is working to help students interested in the mental health field be prepared to do this much needed work.

On Oct. 31st, 15 students from Marietta, Warren, and Williamstown high schools came to the BB2C Epicenter to participate in what has come to be known as Mental Health Day. Due to confidentiality and HIPPA rules it can be difficult to get students into traditional job shadowing placements for this field. Every semester we have several students interested in the mental health field, and since they can’t go into many of the agencies, we bring the agencies to the students.

Mental health related agencies participated in a panel discussion, with two agencies providing hands on activities later in the afternoon. During the panel, representatives from Memorial Health System, Westbrook Health Services (IDD division) and Life and Purpose Counseling discussed the wide variety of careers for mental health with social work being a large part of that discussion. They also discussed how experience will help the students determine the population they want to work with. Marietta College provided a music therapy activity for students to participate in while Hopewell Health Centers led an activity in which students practiced listening skills and empathy with each other. The students tell us in their own words what they learned:

I learned the many fields and directions there are in mental health and it really opened my eyes to all the possibilities. I loved the passion and different perspectives I saw in the panel and it really helped me understand this field.

It gave me a visual of what path I’d like to follow and that not everything’s going to be a straight shot, it’s okay to change your mind.

You have to be flexible and able to adapt to different situations and patients.

I learned you have all the different fields you can go in, and you can decide to change your field that you want to go in.

As a way to get on-site experience, Westbrook Health Services is offering a Meet-N-Greet on Nov. 12th from 4:30pm-6:30pm at their Emerson location to tour group homes. Part of the state’s initiative is to promote community involvement with residents in those homes. If students are engaging with this population of Westbrook, they are gaining experience, residents are engaged with the community, and our host is meeting metrics mandated by the state. An all around win. If you are interested in volunteering or if you are 18 you can be hired to work with those residents. If you haven interest in participating in the Meet-N-Greet please contact Tonya Davis at bbccoord@gmail.com.

We are also working with other agencies to find ways to provide some type of real world experience for our students. BB2C is partnering with HPAC, the Washington County Behavioral Health Board, and the Marietta Community Foundation to develop the Students Solving Problems Initiative. This work began this past summer with a week long visit to the Ohio Teen Institute at Heidelberg College. Students that attended are working on implementing what they learned with their fellow students. For more information about Students Solving Problems, please contact Suzy Zumwalde at bb2cplacement@gmail.com. We look forward to helping students on their career path and can’t wait to expose the next group of students to the world of mental health and the variety of careers it has to offer.

Thank you to all the businesses and Marietta College’s Music Therapy program for taking time out of their busy schedules to talk with our students. We appreciate your passion and dedication!