By Madisson Cameron, Mustang High School
With the pandemic forcing a reckoning with mental health, support systems have become more accessible to in-need communities. But gaps still exist, particularly in the same places that serve these communities.
It poses the question, who provides mental health care for the mental health providers?
Mary Abbott Children’s House has been helping families and children in foster care since 1996. The house offers several services, almost all of which start with a family advocate.
Brittany Akre, who is one of two advocates, said her main goal is being the support system of any incoming families. She guides them through the process of the foster system and abuse precautions, and is there to celebrate the positive, grieve the negative, and everything in between, which isn’t an easy task.
“For me, some of the tougher cases are when you can truly feel the grief of the whole family,” Akre said.
Akre has learned to handle a wide spectrum of tasks since no two days look alike. While she hopes everyday has a positive outcome, it doesn’t always happen.
In her line of work, it isn’t uncommon to see child death cases or victims of rape. Those cases are hard for everybody involved, but Akre has had to learn how to manage through those difficult times.
“Some families come in and they’re very distraught and overwhelmed,” Akre said. “Some families, you’re kind of the punching bag because they’re dealing with their experience and they have to get their frustrations out.”
These situations have caused Akre to question her career choices due to the impact it has had on her mental health, but she has persevered through the challenges. She knew from a young age what she wanted to do, and she prioritizes self care so she can continue to pursue her passion.
“The only point I would ever step away, is if I didn’t feel like I could bring my best self for them, because that’s what ethics is all about, do no further harm,” Akre said. “Until then, I do my best to not take it home and take care of myself so I can take care of others.”
Akre has strong beliefs of the importance of self care and surrounds herself with a support system that she relies on during the difficult days.
A supportive network can often exist within the workplace, with coworkers serving as a dependable source of support.
Kelsey Whipps is the medical director at Mary Abbott. She works with children who have been abused in many senses; physically, sexually, drug endangered, emotionally or neglected. However, in this line of work, Whipps had seen everything.
“I’m able to compartmentalize really well,” Whipps said. “While some things are kind of shocking, it’s never something I haven’t come across in the media or on the news.”
Despite Whipps’ cool composure, there are situations that still get to her. In those cases, Whipps relies on her coworkers.
“You know, some things make you angry, make you sad, but luckily, all of us as a team are really good at supporting each other,” Whipps said.
Still, it can be hard to separate the work people do as employees from its potential impacts when they go home.
“I think we forget that we’re still human too,” said Jordan Powers, a former investigator for the Department of Human Services Child Protective Services.
Powers handled several cases ranging from things like child neglect to sexual abuse. Some cases couldn’t be helped, but one in particular had a strong effect on Powers’ mental health.
“Right after COVID, I had five back-to-back child death cases, but it wasn’t until the very last one that they had brought a doctor in,” Powers said. “I left for 10 months and took a leave of absence. I really think it traumatized everybody who was involved. That one — I just had nightmares about.”
Not long after her leave, she joined the Mary Abbott team as a forensic investigator. Even after experiencing many traumatic events, she didn’t want to give up her line of work due to her history with foster care.
“I grew up in and out of custody,” Powers said. “It was extremely terrifying because they took us from a terrible situation, but then we were in foster homes that just didn’t really understand us. So I was that crazy, angry kid tearing things up, and so nobody wanted me.”
As an adult, she wanted to continue helping people, but learned that to do so, she has to take care of herself. That’s why she applied to Mary Abbott, which is named for a late Norman pediatrician. They focus on keeping their employees OK with frequent check ins, which has kept Powers doing what she loves.
“I think it’s somewhat empowering,” Powers said. “I do feel like I’m able to give them a voice that nobody was able to give me.”
However, individuals who don’t work directly with the treatment process often have just as much struggle with their mental health.
Katie Lenhart is the digital media manager for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). She manages and directs statewide marketing initiatives.
“Sometimes I wonder if marketing mental health treatment is as impactful as I hope it is. Will a social media post help someone who’s struggling?” Lenhart said. “A lot of the time you don’t see the impact of the work like people who work in direct treatment do, but campaigns. . . have been very rewarding to work on.”
Lenhart has struggled with mental health throughout her life, so she was excited to have the opportunity to try to help others. There may be times that the work is triggering, but Lenhart is passionate about it.
“Working in this field, you get into situations talking about mental health that makes people feel comfortable opening up about their own mental health struggles,” Lenhart said. “Every story is important and every story is impactful.”
Even though she faces different challenges, Lenhart is able to help the community and share stories that matter to her, but she wouldn’t be able to do it if it weren’t for her strong support system.
Between her regular selfcare, therapy and having access to an Employee Assistance Program, Lenhart is able to continue her job without risking her mental health, even when it may be mentally taxing.
Passion and self care may not always align, but having a support system is key in doing so. It’s important that more companies are providing resources for their employees.
“Services are always within reach,” Lenhart said, “so it’s important that people are aware about what is available to them in the mental health and substance use disorder treatment, education and prevention space.”
