March is National Social Worker Month, and to continue our celebration of our social workers, we are highlighting Jessica Skinner! Jessica is a Behavioral Health Specialist and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Family Health Clinic.
Read our interview with Jessica to learn about her, her time at the Family Health Clinic, and more.
Jessica Skinner’s Education and Work Experience:
- She graduated from Carroll High School in 2005 and graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2010 from Indiana University Kokomo
- Most recently, she graduated in 2017 with my Masters of Social Work from Simmons University, in Boston, MA.
- She has worked at the Family Health Clinic for the last 8 years, previously as the Patient Care Coordinator, scheduling referral appointments and networking with other local healthcare facilities to meet our patient’s needs.
- She has currently been a social worker for the Family Health Clinic for the last 2 ½ yrs.
A Conversation with Jessica Skinner
As a Behavioral Health Specialist and a Licensed Social Worker, what are your duties at the Family Health Clinic?
Providing mental health therapy services for children and adults, most recently (before COVID-19!), I was working in three local elementary schools meeting with students to gain a better understanding of their feelings and emotions, and how to handle and cope with their day to day lives.
What drew you to the Family Health Clinic originally? And how has the Family Health Clinic changed since?
Suzan Overholser drew me to the Family Health Clinic! During college, I did an internship where Suzan was previously, and after graduation, we got in touch about a position that was opening up at the Family Health Clinic. I applied, and 8 years later…..here I am! ☺
The biggest change has been our growth! We’ve added two additional clinics since I’ve been here, several new staff members, and countless more patients have come into our clinics. We have become more known in the communities about what we do and who we serve because of our amazing marketing team!
What is your favorite part about working for the Family Health Clinic?
My favorite part of working here is the people and the relationships that have been built. I absolutely loved being in the elementary schools and getting to know so many more students, not just that I work with, but throughout the whole school! I am so thankful for the relationships I’ve been able to build with the teachers and administrators, but also my co-workers. When you surround yourself with positive, uplifting, and inspiring individuals, it makes life so much better!
Why do you think having health services like the ones the Family Health Clinic provides is important in the local community?
In light of recent events with COVID-19, we have been able to provide many different resources and information with the things that are happening and changing in our community, in addition to what has been made available locally.
Our clinic is unique because of the services we offer and truly the number of patients we are able to impact, from the young to the old. Every person needs to feel valued and important and I could not be more proud to work in a facility that does this day in and day out!
