Originally published on Medium.com
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Jennifer Grant.
Work with great people. I have an amazing team of people who are my second family. We would do just about anything for each other. We can laugh, complain, disagree, and come together. Without good co-workers, I would have burned out a long time ago.
Jennifer Grant serves as the Director of Behavioral Health at CJR, a nonprofit organization providing residential, educational, community, and wellness services to more than 1,700 young people and their families at locations throughout Connecticut. In this role, she leads a multidisciplinary team of clinicians trained in evidence-based treatment models, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT); the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH-ADTC); and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). In addition, Jennifer has worked with several colleges and universities, helping to bring up the next generation of those who will enter the mental health field.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Igrew up in a small suburban town with my parents and two younger brothers. From an early age, I was very involved with organizations like the Girl Scouts, and when I got older, I participated in student council, student government, and pursued other volunteer opportunities. With a mother in the mental health field and a father in business, I found myself somewhere in the middle. I had a pretty good idea going into college that I wanted to pursue both — to work within the social work field, but ultimately focus on the administrative aspects.
You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more specifically about what you are trying to address?
In developing CJR’s outpatient mental health system, my guiding question has always been, “How can we be different?” My goal was not just to create another outpatient provider, but rather one that truly strives to identify and address barriers to change.
I came to this position with years of experience in intensive in-home work and wanted to figure out how we can bring some of that level of care to outpatient services. How can we become more than just a therapist to someone who sees us once a week or less? Our answer was to start a clinic that focused on quality over quantity. In other words, smaller caseloads than average outpatient settings, allowing for visits to happen as many times per a week as a client needs, giving clinicians the time to do case management and other wrap around services, providing flexible schedules so that families could seek services without interrupting their school and work days, and seeking additional funding from private sources outside of third-party insurance so that we never have to deny a service due to the inability to pay.
One of our primary focus areas has been to bring services to where children and families are and in their own communities. Since 2017, we have focused on providing our services in schools across the state, working with administrators to deliver year-round support. This is where the children are — and where they feel comfortable. Being in the school allows us to see the child and interact with them in their natural environment and removes barriers such as transportation and work schedules.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
It was in 2017, during CJR’s dive into school-based work, that I found my true passion in this line of work. Growing up in a small town (which, by the way, I still live in), I thought everything was great — no problems existed. That, unfortunately, is the way that small towns are often seen by large state and federal governing bodies or large state service providers when it comes time to determine where to put funding or service locations. Now as an adult in these same small towns with my eye on mental health, I can tell you that is not the case. The problems might be different, more under the radar and behind closed doors, perhaps less of a risk to public safety, but they are there, and we need to do more to address them. Also in small towns, nothing is close. Any appointment means a long drive, time out of school for kids and missed work for parents. That’s manageable for the occasional doctor’s appointment, but not for mental health treatment, when ideally sessions should be weekly. It was this realization that drove my determination to start getting our services into schools — all schools of all sizes, including the smaller districts and towns where services were less abundant.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
My passion for improving community access to services across Connecticut was less of an “aha moment” and more of a gradual realization, accelerated by the perfect storm that was Covid. CJR’s wellness services had only been offered in a few schools when Covid hit. What we found during that time was that our collaboration with those schools allowed us to keep seeing families. The school-based tablets that went home with students became the means for a “teletherapy” session with a student while they were remote. Working together with schools, students, and families during that time made me realize even further the importance of that integrated system.
Coming out of the pandemic, we started to see its impact on mental health and wellness. So many people were struggling. Students who may have never been on the “mental health radar” before were suddenly there and schools did not have the resources to support their entire student body in this capacity. We began to hear from more districts that they were interested in CJR being in their buildings. With that we then worked to find start-up funding to add positions to the CJR Wellness Center in order to begin designating more school-based clinicians. Additionally, back to our original question of “How do we do it differently?,” we found resources to bring on more office-based clinicians to offer more flexibility, and leveraged technology to improve access to telehealth. There was a demand for a new widespread need for mental health services to all and we needed to find a way to meet it.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I have been lucky to work in the same agency for the duration of my career with so many wonderful people who are more like family. That said, my direct boss of many years, now our CEO, Dan Rezende, has been my biggest mentor. His leadership was never one of micromanaging, but always of support. His eye is always focused on the big picture, more on what we can do — not what we can’t.
I often tell the story of sitting in our board room on March 13, 2020. Like many, the pandemic was showing us that things were about to change, and we were meeting to talk about moving everyone remote effectively the next day. We were an in-person agency, never had anyone even put their toe in the water of telehealth. I had done some research earlier that day into some first steps of what we would need to do to move probably close to 500 clients remote with as little interruption to services as possible. In that moment, he didn’t tell me why it wouldn’t work, or that it would cost too much, or that we didn’t have the infrastructure. Instead, he said okay let’s do it — let me know what you need. That is how I operate, and that moment sticks in my mind as the moment when I knew that it was okay to take those risks. In the words of another major mentor, Walt Disney, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
According to Mental Health America’s report, over 44 million Americans have a mental health condition. Yet there’s still a stigma about mental illness. Can you share a few reasons you think this is so?
I think there are a few reasons, the first being the inability to “put your finger on it.” There is no medical blood test that tells you that you have a mental health disorder, it therefore seems like a mystery to some. There is a history, especially depending on your upbringing and beliefs, that mental health is a sign of weakness or that you are in some way to blame or a failure and people grit and bear it and suffer alone, only adding to the stigma. The pandemic has helped take some of these barriers down. During that time, everyone was impacted by mental health in some way, everyone knew someone who became depressed or anxious. Mental health was hitting the community at large. It became more socially acceptable and, therefore, more and more people were reaching out for help. Herein lies the second barrier. Do all of these people need a clinical diagnosis? Do they really have anxiety or depression or are they just anxious or sad about what is going on around them right now? Feelings that would be a totally normal response. In order for insurance pay for therapy, you need a diagnosis. Diagnoses follow you and therefore many avoid services for that reason. Having to label it often adds to the stigma.
In your experience, what should a) individuals b) society, and c) the government do to better support people suffering from mental illness?
There are things we need to do to change funding, to improve access, but what every individual person can do is to approach challenging situations with curiosity — not judgment — and be kind. You never know what someone else is going through. If we can be slower to judge and instead be curious. Ask if someone is okay, show compassion and grace. We can then begin to create an environment in our daily lives for ourselves and those around us that are trauma-informed. It isn’t making excuses for people, but just the opposite, helping people to reach their potential with what they come to the situation with.
What are your 5 strategies you use to promote your own well-being and mental wellness?
1 . You first (and no that is not selfish). Don’t they tell you to put the oxygen mask on you first on a plane? When I say me, I also mean my family. I have two children and a husband that comes first. I don’t miss a game, a concert or anything else that is going to leave me in regret for my own family for work. These are also the times that bring me joy and remind me that the reason we do this work is for kids to have these experiences. That also doesn’t mean neglecting work, but it means being mindful. I can’t be fully present in my work if I wish to be somewhere else. So, I take the time to plan, and sometimes work a schedule that looks different from others to fit it all in.
2 . Stay busy. I know it sounds like the opposite of self-care. I don’t mean busy for the sake of busy, but rather busy in ways that are fulfilling. I am very active in our community: PTO president, board of education, along with other things that fill my cup. Being able to step away from work sometimes and have other areas of importance in your life (that also serve something bigger than yourself) can be a great mental break.
3 . Travel. I have vacations booked for the next 15 months at least. In our insanely busy lives, travel allows me to unplug with my family and just spend time together, make memories, and escape the daily stressors of life. I covet our travel time as truly the most important thing to me.
4 . Have fun. I danced my whole life, now I am a dance mom — a dance mom of two girls who is also still at it. Every Wednesday night my tap shoes go on. I could find a million reasons why I don’t have time to go, but I make the time for that little bit of fun.
5 . Work with great people. I have an amazing team of people who are my second family. We would do just about anything for each other. We can laugh, complain, disagree, and come together. Without good co-workers, I would have burned out a long time ago.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
Someday I will have more time to get to the piles of books I buy (all with good intention). I actually find it is often reading and listening to things not mental health related, but rather business, self-help and motivation-related, that help me the most.
My favorite book is “The Ride of a Lifetime,” which is the story of Disney CEO Bob Iger and his lessons in leadership and the vision that built the Walt Disney Company. Some other favorites are “The Energy Bus,” “The Wisdom of Walt,” “Atomic Habits,” as well as the Mel Robbins Podcast.
If you could tell other people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
It is human nature to think someone else will do it. I won’t volunteer to coach that team, someone else will; I won’t go ask that person if they are ok, someone else will; I won’t speak up that we need to find a different way to do this, someone else will. We all think there is someone else. Not because we are being malicious or lazy, but because we are feeling stressed and short on time or we think that someone else can do it better. The reality is if we all think someone else will do it, it won’t get done. If everyone just acted on one of those things each day instead of thinking someone else would do it, imagine what could get done. We don’t all need to do it all, we just need to do one thing each day that moves us forward.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can find me on LinkedIn @Jennifer Grant or visit our agency website, www.cjrimpact.org.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.