Meet Jaime-Rose Kelly
Staff Spotlight continues with Jaime-Rose Kelly, a clinical supervisor who recently celebrated five years with Northern Human Services.
Northern has been a place where I have been able to really hone my skills, find my niche, and live out my calling.
NHS: What do you like most about the work you do?
Jaime-Rose: I feel like my work is more of a calling than a job. I like walking the tough journeys alongside clients, many of whom do not have supports or someone to validate how hard their circumstances are, someone to listen, someone to slow down and just BE with them. It is a gift to bear witness to others’ stories.
I also love the variety of the tasks and settings in which I do my work – the hospital, office, the community, and other facilities and offices. I think my favorite part of my current role is getting to travel to the other offices in Northern and meet my coworkers with which I have only previously communicated via email and gain an appreciation for how the other offices operate.
NHS: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement while working for Northern Human Services? Or, which of your contributions/projects have you enjoyed the most?
Jaime-Rose: I am right in the middle of it now! [Working for] The Mobile Crisis Program. This has been such a challenge, but also feels completely in my wheelhouse. For me, my greatest achievement was interviewing for the Mobile Crisis Director position. I knew the position was much too big for me at the time, but I also knew I had at least some of the skills needed to do the job and figured I would work out the rest! I almost did not have the confidence to apply and was so nervous in the interview. However, the mobile crisis program is such a change from how N.H. delivered emergency [mental health] services and approached mental health in our community that I could not pass up the opportunity to try to be part of it. That one step has been my biggest achievement in professional and personal growth. Although I did not get the director role, I am really happy to have stepped out of my comfort zone and applied. More importantly, interviewing for that role ultimately led me to my current position as the Clinical Supervisor for the Rapid Response/Mobile Crisis Team (RR/MCT) program. Due to my skill set in Emergency Services, Northern created and offered me a different position, teaming me up with another NHS staff member. The entire experience has been validating experience and has grown my confidence professionally and personally. I am grateful to be a part of it! I’m also grateful for leadership participating in the interview process that were willing to change their initial ideas of a singular role into two roles.
NHS: In a few sentences, describe a typical (or non-typical!) day at work.
Jaime-Rose: Oh boy! My day is non-stop. I usually begin each day at the Littleton Regional Healthcare to cover our contract to help support the hospital with clients boarding and awaiting psychiatric placement. Once I’m finished, I race back to the office…sometimes to see a client or participate in a Zoom meeting. In addition to this work, I manage a small caseload and often seeing clients either in the afternoon, or early in the morning. One day per week I travel to our Conway or Wolfeboro locations to work with my colleague on the Rapid Response/Mobile Crisis Team-related work. And sometimes I cover on-call shifts at nights and on weekends. I also provide clinical supervision for the mobile crisis clinicians and provide training wherever needed throughout the agency for Emergency Services.
NHS: What do you enjoy the most about being a part of Northern Human Services?
Jaime-Rose: Northern has been a place where I have been able to really hone my skills, find my niche, and live out my calling. I felt this way in 2002 when I started as a functional support specialist and have felt it upon my return in 2017, as I worked to acquire my LCMHC. I have been lucky to have had some good mentors over the years. I appreciate being given a chance in this current role and feel supported by management, which goes a long way in helping an employee stay dedicated and work hard. Another fantastic quality of Northern is how supportive individual co-workers are to each other, whether it be to support each other in work or in personal matters. I enjoy spending time with my co-workers both in and out of work.
NHS: What is an important lesson you have learned from working in human services?
Jaime-Rose: Everyone has their own story; their own scars. There is no “normal.” The best thing we can do for others is to listen, be present, and be a safe space. Another important lesson learned is being comfortable in the discomfort of change. There has been so much change agency-wide, and in my local office over the last three years that it has been unsettling at times. Learning to ride out the storms has been a good challenge and another growth opportunity for me.
NHS: What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Jaime-Rose: One look in my office and you’ll know my favorite place! The OCEAN! My most favorite day would involve my family and some close friends sitting at the ocean! Second to that, would be sitting in my yard and playing with my kids and animals.
