We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenn O’connell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

I was fresh out of graduate school for my Master of Social Work degree in 2017. I had been applying to jobs for about four months at this point, with minimal responses. I had my heart set to work at a hospital near me, which happened to be one of the largest freestanding behavioral health hospitals in the country. I wasn’t hearing anything back so my mom suggested I apply to volunteer to get my foot in the door. I was a bit defeated at this idea after interning for years without pay and having just finally received my degree. I begrudgingly went to my orientation for volunteering and shared the elevator with the nursing manager that was responsible for hiring for the unit. I introduced myself, handed over my resume and got an interview! I started working as a Behavioral Health Associate and didn’t end up having to volunteer after all.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was a college freshman at Valparaiso University as a nursing major with the intention to be in the healthcare field, help people and make a living while doing it. After a couple of years taking classes for my nursing degree, it was becoming apparent that my heart was just not in it. I was entering my junior year so time was ticking and the pressure was on. My friend casually suggested social work as a career that I might be good at. I was jaded and believed that therapists were people who are “paid to pretend to care” and initially brushed off the idea. Well long story short, I scheduled a meeting with a social work professor that week and walked away with my passion sparked and saying “I can’t believe that that’s a JOB!” It sounded incredibly interesting to me to learn how to critically think and see things from others’ point of view with empathy. Flash forward to three internships and three years of social work classes to receive my Master of Social Work degree. One of my jobs out of school was working for a hospital and for a private practice on the side. I was laid off from my job at the hospital and thrown into the fire to make a quick career decision. It was the little push I needed to take the leap and open up my own private practice. I was absolutely terrified. I did it anyway. Something I talk to clients about is “feeling fear and bringing it along with you.” You can feel afraid and still not allow it to make your decisions. Today, I get to meet with clients and hear about their story and work to understand how it feels to walk in their shoes. We build rapport, set goals and problem solve together. I have the honor of hearing about their symptoms of depression and anxiety and help them through what is often the most difficult time in their lives. I have a strong interest in working with perinatal clients who are trying to conceive, pregnant or new parents. I am so grateful for the job I get to do everyday and feel incredibly fortunate to work with every client and witness their vulnerability and growth.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would absolutely choose to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the private practice setting again and again. I enjoy the work that I do so much that I don’t know that I’ll ever fully retire. I see myself as eighty years old and still meeting with clients at least one day a week just because I want to.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think empathy is most helpful in succeeding in the field of social work, especially in the private practice setting. It’s important to fully believe that you don’t know how someone feels or how it feels to be them. I actively listen and ask questions to work to understand their feelings and emotions. The client is the one who knows their story best, I’m just here to help them understand it. I help them help themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themptherapy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themindfulplacetherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMindfulPlaceTherapy/

Image Credits

Alex Segall Photography