Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Hey there. And thanks very much for tuning in to your best you real conversations on mental wellness brought to you by MHA of Dutchess county and brought to you in part by the Northern and Southern Dutchess Community Coalitions. We got a great episode for you guys today. This one's kind of funny how this all worked out because you got two 20, 26, 40 under 40 people in this room. When I reached out to her, I had no idea that this one was coming. We're not going to talk about mine today. We're here to talk about her.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: So.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: So with the mobile crisis unit here at MHA, we are talking to 20, 26 Hudson Valley 40 under 40 mover and shaker award recipient. We have with us Natalie Seely.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: Hi. Thank you for having me. That was a lot to get out all at once.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I, I, I practice in front of the mirror. Every time it's like, what am I going to say? No, I'm kidding.
I don't know. Something about like getting onto the microphone and just like there's a switch inside my head where I can actually start rattling stuff off.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:56] Speaker B: Get me off the microphone. I'm like.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: And yeah, it's like your brain is like computing all at once, like trying to get it all out together.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Exactly. Right now, like I'm running on the most updated version of Chrome. You get me off of this, I am back to Internet Explorer. Yeah, yeah, that's essential.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: Almost.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: Sometimes you can hear the dial up noise as I'm trying to think.
But Natalie, thank you so much for coming in. It was a pleasure meeting you the other day and we kind of got talking, learning a little bit about your story and excited to share it all here again. First of all, congratulations on the top 40 under 40.
[00:01:30] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:01:31] Speaker B: That is awesome. So when it came to that, when you got the notification, it was like, hey, you were receiving it this year. How did you feel?
I think the surprise of being nominated was ruined for you, but the surprise of winning was still very much there. Right? You want to talk about that?
[00:01:48] Speaker A: Yeah, of course. So my best friend, who I would also like to identify her as probably my solo soulmate in the world, but so she, we don't keep many secrets from each other, if anything. So she did let me know that she nominated me because she couldn't keep it together.
So she had let me know that that had happened and then of course it's never guaranteed. So the 40 under 40 is something that I've wanted for a very, very long time. You can ask Anybody. I talk about it every single year.
And so her, along with my family, kind of got into cahoots with one another and then did that. And so when I got the phone call during the snowstorm, I was like, oh my gosh, like, I can't believe this is happening. And I was. The poor guy. I was like, Like, I didn't know what to say.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: You were on dial up too at that moment.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: Exactly. And then he was like, okay, congrats. And then I was like, alright, bye. Then that was that. And I didn't know what to do with myself.
So I definitely. I called her and I was like, I got it. Like, this is so amazing. And then I called my family too, and I just remember, like, just crying for like a good like two days because I was just like, so happy.
And it was something that I've wanted for a very, very, very long time. So I feel fortunate and thankful for that. And congrats to you also.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: Thank you very much. Yeah, it was a funny story how that all worked out.
[00:02:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: First of all, I do have to say you said you got the call during the snowstorm. We're currently recording this during the fake spring heat wave. Hence why I'm in my tropical outfits. I'll be back to my parking next week. I'm sure about that. But yeah, no, when you got announced, you were announced the first day. And obviously I think it was Jessica who first sent out the email to everybody. Mha. Oh, that's sick. Amazing. And then I was just told, it's like, hey, Con, just keep an eye on that. If we get anybody else from MHA just so we can shout them out and maybe we could do the podcast with them all that. That's a great idea. Let's do it. Day four comes around and there's my name is like, oh, yeah, this is awkward.
But I'm very grateful for it. My family put me in for it.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: Yeah, Yeah, I. I'm not good at surprises. I actually really don't like, like them at all.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Oh, really?
[00:03:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Because I'm such a planner in life. So same. And she knows that. And so she is the exact same weight too. So she. It was like one of those where she couldn't contain herself. But also was. She knows that I would have like completely lost it if I didn't know that this was like at least a potential and she knew how bad I wanted it to like, and how, you know much that was like a goal of mine, something I really wanted to achieve. So yeah, so I was I was okay with it. I was okay with the, you know, semi. Not surprised. But it's still a surprise at the end of the day because you don't know.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: You don't know. There's hundreds of submissions for that. It's crazy how much that they get so, you know, to be recognized within the 40 for a year. That's awesome. And, you know, I've been talking to a few people who I know who have been past recipients, and they say that it's like this really cool kind of network that you're a part of now. It's like, welcome. I got so many texts, welcome to the club. And it was like, oh, this is cool. And I'm excited for all the networking stuff that's going to come out of this.
What was it? We got an email about, like a networking thing prior to the awards. Were you. Are you going to be able to make it?
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Yeah. So actually, that email, I was so overwhelmed when I got that email.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: There was a lot in it.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: I love the itinerary and I love the structure of it. That is like music to my. My eyes and ears and all the things. But I was like, oh, my gosh. And then of course, I have to get everything done, like right away because that's just 2am So I fought actually with ChatGPT, which I don't use often, but every once in a while I do. To write that professional biography.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Because I also am not good at writing about myself. So I'm like, I was going back and for. For like three days with chat GPT on like, what to write and how to get it, and it was supposed to be 150 words or something like that. So I got it down to 164 and I was like, they're just gonna have to eat the 14 words because that's fine.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: If it helps, I was at 146. So you can take four of my words.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Perfect.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah. So I know a lot of people that got it this year, actually.
[00:05:32] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Yeah. So I feel really fortunate in that because it's people that I've known for a very long time. And so it's kind of cool like, that we all got it together.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: And I know a lot of people that have received it in the past too. So I actually got together with one of my friends who got it a few years ago on Friday. We actually. She reached out, congratulated me, and then we got together. Nice. And so that was really nice to catch up with her and just like Talk about it and just kind of, you know, she didn't know either. She had no idea.
And so it was nice to just kind of like get her experience and understand that too.
[00:06:01] Speaker B: That's awesome. Yeah, yeah. No, it was a beautiful moment because, yeah, people who had previously won it, they reached out to me. There was a few people that I knew. I didn't know too many people. I think I knew maybe three people on this year's list.
In Henny Jackson, shout out to her. Kamino Alexito, Eric Dalton, incredible musician, producer. And also, I think he does, like, home health work too. I only knew him as the musician. Like, he does all that. And then Kayla with Impact PR and communications, who I've worked very close with, Shout out Kayla as well. But yeah, other than those three, I think that's all I knew out of the 40. And now we've gotten to meet and I'm glad that we have that rapport now. That's lovely.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: Yeah. So I do plan to go to the network.
I'm actually looking forward to. I love networking events, but I just feel like I never get a real opportunity to do so. And so I was like, absolutely. Like, I'm going to that because I would love to meet everybody and. Yeah. You know, so. Yeah, so I will be there and I'm looking forward to that also.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: To kind of be around everybody and.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it'll be good to see the people that we know, meet the people that we don't know, see whatever happens. I kind of like the fact that, you know, both of us are coming in from mha, so we could kind of like tag team it in a way.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:10] Speaker B: So that's. I don't know. There's a familiarity to that. But then it's also like the familiarity of like seeing the three people I know and the few people, you know, and that's going to be nice.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: Especially like, I'm glad they have this kind of event because say we get to the award ceremony without having a chance to meet everybody. It's such a whirlwind.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: Like, moments like that are such a whirlwind where you don't get to have that, like one on one time with somebody. So it's nice to get a little bit ahead of time.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And I anticipate there being a lot going on that day anyways.
So I'm like, you're probably not even going to have an opportunity to really get to sit down or talk to anybody, you know, so it is. It's nice to have that. And then you never know where that could lead to.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: You may not think you're going to have a thoughtful conversation that night because it's a whirlwind, but all it takes is just like that one business card or that one exchange of phone numbers, or that one joke at the buffet line that leads to something. Honestly, the MHA gala was one of the main things that landed me here. So you have stuff like that. But again, just want to focus in on the fact that with top 40 under 40, not only have you do you have to get nominated for it, but you have to have a pretty substantial catalog of work prior to that, and you have to really, really have earned it. Again, you're up against hundreds of people here in the Hudson Valley every single year. And honestly, the list keeps growing because there's always more and more people.
So with that, let's talk about your role here at MHA and what led you to. To even receiving that award in the first place. Talk about your work here with the mobile crisis unit.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Yeah, so I started the mobile crisis team about five years. I actually just got my five year letter the other day.
So about five years ago, I was in grad school for my social work degree.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: And I actually had Andrew o' Grady as a professor.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Small world.
[00:08:53] Speaker A: Yeah, so we. It was 2020, so it was right after. Yeah, it was fall of 2020, right after Covid. So everything was just starting to kind of get back to normal.
[00:09:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: And so I was supposed to be at a school, and because of COVID they weren't really letting other people in yet. You know, they were just trying to get acclimated back into their own space.
So that internship kind of fell through.
I always wanted to be a school social worker or something that I really liked and thought of that coupled with CPS and like, just always with kids. And so when that kind of fell through, I didn't have an internship and it was already December, and you were supposed to start an internship in, I think, September or something. So I was a little bit behind.
And so I remember in the beginning of class, Andrew had always said to us, if you need anything, you reach out to me. So I reached out to him in tears, and I was like, please help me. Please help me.
And so he was like, okay, just show up. Just. Just come to mha, we'll put you somewhere. And I was like, okay. So MHA had just gotten the mobile crisis team that November, and then from the county, so they contracted out with the county.
And so I came and there was another program that was on a grant. It was a hospital discharge. So anybody that was discharged from inpatient care, it was like case management. I was trying to link them to services. And because the most vulnerable time for somebody after hospital discharge is within like the first 30, 60, 90 days, more likely for them to go back in or to have any kind of crisis again. So this was a grant, so I split my time in between both. But then I kind of fell in love with mobile crisis at that point and just everybody that was there. And plus on the team, there was somebody that was in my classes, so it was kind of like a familiar face too. And we didn't know until I had gotten there.
So I started out as an intern, and then I was brought on as a case manager prior to finishing my internship. And then I worked per diem through that summer. And then once I got my license, I was brought on full time and as a clinician.
And now here we are. The rest is history, I guess.
So. I love, love, love, love the mobile crisis team. I love everything about it. I enjoy my job. I enjoy coming to work every day.
And it was once that started happening, I was like, okay, I think this is where I'm supposed to be. This is where, you know, I was meant to be.
Which is very different because if you would have asked me 10 years ago where I would be now, I would have told you I have no idea, not a single clue. So.
[00:11:16] Speaker B: Oh, 10 years, that is a significant difference for sure.
I definitely would have never have said this 10 years ago myself. I'm lucky enough to be in a similar enough field where I'm lucky that way, but 10 years? Yeah, it's hard to. Hard to really say. One of the things that, you know, when we talked about the first time and you brought up just now the fact that you were able to essentially get on the ground floor of MHA taking over the team, receiving it from Dutchess, from Dutchess County.
What would you say, like, the differences from the start to now? Like, what would you say is different and what have you seen grown during that period?
[00:11:51] Speaker A: Yeah, so I feel in the beginning it was very uncharted territory. You know, in the very beginning it was very new, not just for you,
[00:12:01] Speaker B: but probably everybody around here, right?
[00:12:02] Speaker A: Yeah. And so there was kind of a shift in where they wanted the mobile crisis team to go and a lot of guidelines. So omh, which is the Office of Mental Health. Yep. They have got their own guidelines and then the county has their own guidelines. So you kind of have to meet in the middle somewhere and please, both entities, which is way above me, shout out to Jessica on that. But she has wonderfully brought me in on a lot of it. And I've learned so much about all of that administrative stuff, which I have no interest in. But, but so I would say, like, in the beginning, it was, it was, it was different, you know, it was.
We all were kind of just like winging it and just trying to make it work and really just trying to find what was the best for the community and what the community really needed. And so I was fortunate where they brought the teams, just brought me along and I just kind of got to see everything.
And then now I feel that we have established a really great reputation since I made five years later. So.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: And I feel that, you know, we just are really big in the community and people look to us all the time, you know, and sometimes I feel it can be a little frustrating because we're like, ah, there's just so much that we can do. Yeah. But it also is an honor at times because people are looking to you to help them in the most vulnerable time. And just look, sometimes it's just like picking up the phone and answering a question, and that's all they need in that. In that very moment. And then sometimes it's much bigger than that. And so I, I like the fact that it's a variety of experiences. Every single day is different.
Every single case is. Is completely different.
And something that, like, as a social worker, what works for one definitely does not work for the other.
[00:13:45] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Yeah. Without a doubt. Every, you know, everybody's going to be different. The way everybody approaches it, each social worker is going to be different, Each patient's going to be different. Client, I should say. Oh, cl. Depending on the situation, it's such a volatile thing that you have to deal with. Again, like, in the name is crisis.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: So for anybody out there who, like, they hear mobile crisis team and they might have some things come into their head as to what you guys might deal with. And again, as you said, each case is so different from each other, but is there a way that you can give kind of like a general overview of the kind of crises that you see on a regular basis?
[00:14:24] Speaker A: Yeah. So I. The same speech I give everybody all the time when they ask, like, what is the mobile crisis team? Or what do you do?
So it's mainly anybody that's experiencing any suicidal, homicidal thoughts, any active psychosis, any substance use.
We go out to individuals in the community and meet them where they're at and first assess for safety. That's our primary role.
And then we kind of develop a plan, a safety plan, if that's needed, and then linkage to services. So whether that be substance use, inpatient, outpatient, mental health, inpatient, outpatient. Sometimes it's just case management. Sometimes it's. It's just somebody to talk to in that very moment. And they don't need connection or they're already connected, but they needed, like somebody just in that moment until their next appointment with their therapist. And it doesn't always have to fit that box, so it could be you. They might not necessarily be experiencing any kind of thought or anything, but.
Or any like active psychosis or substance use. But sometimes, you know, crisis is identified as anything that's. That's above baseline or out of the norm or something that's not within their normal, you know, routine. So it could be different for everybody. So anybody that's just needing support and really just need somebody to be there to help them in that very moment, I mean, it could be. Most of the time, it is their very worst day for them. And sometimes it's a lot to kind of take on and to hold.
But that's my favorite part is, I mean, I've sat on a sidewalk with somebody on their worst, absolute worst day, and I just sat there, you know, with them. And sometimes it's just sitting with them on a couch and just validating them, and there's might not be anything that you can do, but you're just there with them and it just helps them and you validate them and you give them a little bit of understanding and to make them feel like they're not alone. Because I feel like that's a lot with mental health is people feel like they're alone and. And they're really not really not.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: No. The isolation factor that a lot of people throw upon themselves when it comes to mental health, it can be very dangerous for anybody in, regardless of the situation, whether they truly are alone or not.
Being alone within your own mind can be a very, very scary thing. So as you said, you're there for people on some of their worst days and that. And as you said, there's a beauty to it. You said it's like how beautiful it is to be there, to be able to help them through it. How wonderful. But, you know, I say this very often. You can't pour from an emp.
That must be a lot on you and the other people that you work with, with mobile Crisis. How do you guys balance that?
[00:16:47] Speaker A: So one big thing is we actually. Our office is a big open space. It's almost like if you walk in, it's like a call center. And so that's what Jessica's vision always was, was to have a call center looking space for all of us. One primarily because we work as a team, so we don't each have our own caseload, so we know everything about every person that we are working with in that week, that month, whatever it looks like.
So I think it's very beneficial to have an open space like that because we can come back from a call or a situation that we were in and we were able to, like, debrief. So whether that needs to be privately with Jessica in her office or we could do it as a. As a team, because most of the time, there's a lot. We're all involved in it. So there's somebody that takes the phone call. That necessarily doesn't mean that that person particularly will respond to the call.
So that person is, you know, wanting to debrief also about what's happened, you know, what happened on the call. And kind of. We all just like to bounce ideas off of each other. So that's one way that we do it all collectively. And I think that that really has helped us, like, through the years of just being able to just openly talk about our feelings about the situation, because we are seeing, you know, some really sad things.
And so it's really good to be able to talk to each other about that.
Outside of that, I have a wonderful tribe of human beings around me, and they are just fantastic humans. They have helped me through everything imaginable.
And even if it's just a bad day, just not to talk, like, just to have them next to me, it's just so beneficial. I also have a dog who is.
[00:18:13] Speaker B: You're a proud dog, mom.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: Oh, gosh. She is my pride and joy, so she is just the best thing to come home to. It's like. It's like a brand new day every day. It's like she's never seen me before. So even when I opened my eyes and we just slept together the whole night, she. It's like she's never seen me before. And I'm like. It's just. She's just so sweet. So the. All of the, like, all the people and then my dog, and it's just. It helps. It does. I mean, there are days that there's nothing you can do. You know, you're, you know, the best thing to do is not take it home with you.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: And I try very, very, very hard with that. But some cases, they just get to you and it just takes a little bit longer to.
[00:18:46] Speaker B: To get through naturally.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: You're dealing with some really heavy stuff there. You know, obviously I. I do not have the mental health background. The question has come up and, hey, what's this guy doing hosting the show? I have no mental health background other than the fact I've gone to therapy, but I like to think I can ask the right questions and I have the tech background. But I've had moments too where I've had to talk people off the ledge. You know, it's in a personal stance. And, you know, I'm thinking to myself, what do I do? I don't have the training for this. What am I supposed to do here? And, you know, fortunately, each time I'm blessed in those situations that those people ended up being okay. And fortunately, I was the right person in that moment, I guess, for whatever reason. But that's your everyday.
I have maybe a handful of stories like that. You have that every single day. So that's pretty intense, what you have to go through with that.
[00:19:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:35] Speaker B: When it comes to reaching out to mobile crisis, let's say somebody is out there and somebody needs it themselves or somebody around them might need mobile crisis services. How do they reach out?
[00:19:47] Speaker A: So there's a couple ways. So 988 is the national suicide hotline. I wish they would change their name because I feel like it's just should be a mental health hotline, essentially, as I feel people get a little deterred when they hear the suicide, because you don't necessarily need to be suicidal to call them.
[00:20:02] Speaker B: I didn't know that that was still aligned with it. I thought it was a more general term.
[00:20:05] Speaker A: It is, it is, but I think that it's still got that tag on it a little bit. Interesting. Okay, so 988 for sure will. If you call 988, you can ask for the mobile crisis team or kind of talk through whatever you're going through or somebody else is going through, and then they kind of gauge if it's appropriate and then they'll link you right with us.
We also have a direct line which is on the MHA website. So if you look up mha, go to mobile Crisis, our direct line is right there.
They can always access through there as well.
Or they could call MHA's main line and they can click the first option for the mobile crisis team. And that's available to them too.
[00:20:41] Speaker B: Terrific. Yeah, of course, we'll make sure that we have the information available to everybody in the description of this episode. So if you or somebody that you know needs them. No, you'll have the right resources.
Hope you don't mind me sharing. Actually, there was a time I needed to call Mobile crisis and it's actually kind of a funny story I would like to share.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah, of course.
[00:20:59] Speaker B: So I accidentally ingested 60 milligrams of THC.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: Oh, goodness.
[00:21:04] Speaker B: And I don't smoke or do anything with marijuana whatsoever.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:09] Speaker B: So the fact that I accidentally ingested 60 milligrams of it, I wasn't doing too well.
So I. Oh my God. I was having the spins. I was blacking out. I was, I was started off with just, you know, buddy and I. And then I needed to go to the bathroom. I black out. Next thing I know, we're walking on a golf course together on the 14th hole. Have no idea how we got there.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: Oh, goodness.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: He ingested the same stuff. Me too. So like, so we're just walking along and eventually, you know, we. We go our separate ways and I realize that I'm too screwed up to go home. Fortunately, there was a hotel nearby. I was able to get the hotel.
I feel like I talked to the person at the front, the main concierge, for like an hour. It was probably only like a couple of minutes, but it was. I was so disoriented. It felt like I was playing a third person video game. But the TV wasn't working.
And then by the time I finally got to my hotel room, I'm laying on the bed, spread eagle, like trying is like, I don't know what to do. I feel like this bed's going to engulf me. And I call, I call the mobile crisis. And whoever was on the phone with me was quite love. And I was saying to them is like, hi, I'm really high and I've never been high in my life.
And they're like, do you need hospitalization? It's like, I don't know. That's why I called you.
And you know, it's a funny story, like looking back on it and like, eventually they're like, it sounds like you're in the right place, you know where you are.
Just ride it out. Stay there overnight. Don't go anywhere. And I was like, cool, yeah, awesome, thanks.
But I was, I was so out of it. So that's kind of like one of the funnier, maybe light hearted versions of what you guys could get we probably love the call.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: I don't particularly remember, but yeah, we probably loved it because it was probably a nice break in our day where it's like, oh, yeah, this is fantastic. And we love to be a support like that even. Even in that moment. Right? It's like we love to just be so supportive for people. And it's like, hey, listen, we've all been there, buddy. Like, well, you're gonna be all right. We'll be, you know, and if not, then, you know, you might have to escalate it to the next stage, but fortunately for you, I don't think that that happened.
[00:23:17] Speaker B: No, no, it was good.
[00:23:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:19] Speaker B: I'm pretty sure I did hear chuckling on the other end, like not from the main person I was talking to, but that was about like two years ago. So that was. Oh my God, that was about two years ago now. Geez.
But that was, that was a funny moment and figured just share and maybe bring back to people and see if anybody else remembers.
[00:23:36] Speaker A: I'm definitely going to do that because we love to. Any moment that, like I said, that could break up our day is helpful. And again, that's part of our self care in the office too. Is anything, you know, that we can make us laugh just even for one second.
[00:23:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a silly. It was a silly moment and fortunately everything was pretty okay and controlled, but it was just like that moment. Do you need to go to the hospital? I don't know. That's why I'm calling you.
[00:23:57] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's funny.
[00:23:59] Speaker B: But so you get some levity there. I figured share. You probably get a kick out of that. But again, with serious topics, this is a very interesting field to want to go into because it takes a very strong and a very specific kind of person to want to be able to help people, to disregard. So we said a moment ago how 10 years ago you never thought you would be in this exact position.
Let's think back to 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago. Natalie, what exactly did you think you were going to be doing? What did you hope you're going to be doing and what inspired you on that path?
[00:24:31] Speaker A: So I always knew I wanted to help somebody. And it's funny. I was watching this very comical reel. I actually think my best friend sent it to me. How cool how you go into crisis work, right? And it's like. Or it's like different social workers and it describes each social worker and why they went into that field. And it's like a crisis worker, she wanted to be in the medical field, but, you know, this is where she landed. And it's the adrenaline and all these things. And it's funny, I never wanted to be the medical field, but I always wanted to be somewhere helping somebody.
I had have a sibling who struggled in early adolescence, and unfortunately, they just didn't have the right resources at that time. And I always thought to myself, well, maybe if I existed at that time for them, you know, not as their. Their sister, but as somebody, you know,
[00:25:20] Speaker B: as where you are now.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. That maybe something could have. Could have done something different for them. Yeah. And so I hold that in my heart every day. And every time I'm asked, I say the same thing. Why did you go into social work? And this is exactly the reason why is just that one moment of where I had a thought, and I was like, wow. I just wonder if maybe this was a little bit different for them, if things would be a little bit different for them and for us, you know, as family members. So that was always my driving force behind things, and I just ran with that and took me a while to kind of find my footing and find what was appropriate and where I wanted to be. And then I. After I graduated with my bachelor's degree, I sat down with a family friend, and he was like, well, you know, I think you should go into social work, because you can do so much with social work. You don't know what you want to do right now. Exactly. But there's so many more things you could do in social work than you can if you just got, like, a mental health license, where that's primarily, like, therapy and things like that. And I knew I could not do therapy, like, one to one, every week in an office all day long. I was very much on the go, even as a kid. I was always everywhere.
[00:26:26] Speaker B: Same here.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: And always into stuff that was not my problem.
And so. Or always drifting off. I mean, the joke on vacation, anytime I go anywhere with anybody is, we gotta keep an eye on Natalie. It's like if they had those leashes.
[00:26:38] Speaker B: They need the leash on you, huh?
[00:26:39] Speaker A: Exactly. My parents did not believe in those leashes, but they probably wish they did.
[00:26:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: So I was always off somewhere. And so I think that I'm always, you know, with crisis, you learn. Like, there's. Like I said, there's something new every single day. And so I think that that's just kind of what keeps me moving, is each day is different, each case is different, and I never know what it's gonna look like that day. And I think that is what I fell in love with the most.
[00:27:01] Speaker B: Yeah. You work at a very specific speed and this allows for that. Yes, but that's awesome that it offers the kind of pace that you're up for doing, because not everybody can do a very fast paced kind of. Well, literally crisis moments. Yeah. To be able to, like, work on a dime, that must be very difficult for some people.
[00:27:19] Speaker A: Yeah. And it can be. I mean, there's times sometimes I'm like, whoa, I need a minute. Like, I just need one second. I just, you know, need to take a deep breath. Um, and. And we all support each other in that too, you know, or there's something that just is not appropriate for one person to respond to for whatever reason, or they don't feel comfortable or something. And we all work together as a team to kind of like. And you get to know people like, and what they are comfortable with, what they're not comfortable with.
So I think that that's very helpful too. And to have the support of that also is very beneficial. So, you know, if there's ever a moment where I'm like, oh boy, I needed to, like, take a second and take a minute back, I don't have any second guess and to do that.
And I made a promise to myself a long time ago that if I ever wake up and I'm like, today is not the day, or I just, I'm not here. I'm very honest with myself and I'm very honest with the people that I work with about that. And I make sure that I take whatever time I need on that moment. Because if I'm not in a right space, there's no way I can help somebody on. On these days.
[00:28:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: So.
[00:28:17] Speaker B: No, that's very true and very honest to yourself.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:21] Speaker B: And this seems like a role where you do have to be very honest with yourself. Sure. There are some people that can go to their jobs kind of like half in a fog or whatever, and they can make it through.
You're dealing with a lot of life and death situations here.
[00:28:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:33] Speaker B: And that's not something to be kind of like whatever.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.
[00:28:39] Speaker B: Yeah. So with that being said, obviously, obviously we have to think about the privacy of a lot of the people that you've had to work with.
But is there any way that you can share with us something that's been rewarding throughout this process?
[00:28:55] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I actually, we were just talking about this the other day, actually, because very few times do we get to see somebody after the fact unless they come back and they're in another crisis, you know, unfortunately, and that's not the same thing.
So we actually were just talking about this the other day, how we could maybe figure out a way to follow up with somebody, you know, a couple months later. And so we're working on trying to figure out if that would be appropriate for us and also how we can navigate that. But I will say there's a particular case that I had involvement with probably two years ago at this point. It was very intense, very sad. The individual was both physically and mentally just very suffering.
And so we worked to get him to the hospital, and he was hospitalized and had to have a lot of medical things taken care of.
And it was pretty horrific seeing that, and just kind of the whole process through that. And then he.
A year later, he kind of started to maybe slip off a little bit, started to stop taking his medications and things like that. And the family had called us back out, and we actually went out there, and I was like, wait, this is night and day here. This is a totally different person than it was a year ago.
And I was like, I see the signs. I understand, and I fully sit with the concern, because it was pretty bad the year before.
But it was so nice to see that. That moment that day, essentially. And, I mean, the family shared with us, like, we saved his life that day, and it was very much life or death, like, the closest I've seen.
And it was so nice to see him that day where it was such a completely different person and he was better and thriving and his space was better, you know. And so I was able to have a very clear conversation with him about, hey, look at what we're looking at here. We're starting to see some signs that we're concerned about.
And it was a very nice conversation that I was able to have with him. And then, unfortunately, a few months later, the inevitable came where, you know, he had to go back. But that one moment where it was a whole year later that I was able to see a completely different person from what I had seen that one day that it was. That was very rewarding. And my partner at that time that I was with, we were on the call the year before, and then we were on this call together, too, and we both shared that. Like, that is not something that we get to see very often.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: No.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: And I just hope one that he's doing fabulous. But it was very nice to have that moment with the family, too, you know, because they didn't get to have that moment where we talked to him anytime Afterwards until it was another crisis.
And so when I got to talk to him that day that he was doing really well, they just. We're so thankful and so grateful that our service existed and that we were there that day and that we were able to help, because a lot of times families just feel defeated, because it really is. You have to wait until that very moment a lot of the times, before anybody can step in and do anything. And it's. It's sad for us, too, to even see that.
[00:31:49] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. Now, as you said, eventually the inevitable happened and you did need more help again. But I can only imagine, though, the fact that he's had these resources, the fact that he had his connections, his contacts, now I would like to hope probably it was a much better circumstance than the very first time around.
[00:32:06] Speaker A: Yeah. So it actually was. It was way better. And we. Because we knew that first time around and we kind of knew where things would go, we were able to utilize that and catch it sooner rather than later.
[00:32:17] Speaker B: That's good.
[00:32:18] Speaker A: And so it was beneficial. I mean, it's still. We don't want that to happen. We don't want, you know, repeated hospitalizations. That's not the goal. But it was better that we had that rapport. I had a rapport with him, too. So it was easier to get him to kind of go where he knew he needed to be, and we all knew where he needed to be.
And so hopefully that, you know, that was what helped him in that moment.
[00:32:44] Speaker B: There's probably a certain level of trust, right?
[00:32:46] Speaker A: Yeah, to a degree. I mean, a lot of the times they see us and they think that we're a very big, authoritative figure, and I'm like, I'm just. It's just me. Like, I'm just. I'm just a girl, you know, so it's my favorite line. So I'm just a girl. Yeah, I'm just a girl. I'm just here just to help you, you know, I don't want to do anything that you don't want to do either.
[00:33:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:04] Speaker A: And so I tried to really come from a nice, comfortable space that I am not any higher level than you. I am not any better than you.
You know, in social work school, they teach you not to disclose to, you know, clients, and I think that that's very impactful. And not to do that is, you know, it's not. Your stuff is not their stuff. Right.
There has been one time only that I've ever done something like that, and it was actually very beneficial for that person and I was able to read the room, you know, and it was. It wasn't until I was there for a very long time, and I was able to kind of utilize what I had gone through to help him, because it was a very similar situation, really. And I think that that helped him in that moment, you know, again, not feel alone, not feel like. Just because I'm a social worker on the mobile crisis team does not mean I don't go through it too. And I don't have my moments. And I don't want to call the crisis team sometimes on myself. You know, those are.
It's all the same. And we're all human. And people I feel that are in crisis need to feel that too.
[00:34:00] Speaker B: Yeah. So with that, you know, here you gave this example of somebody who, you know, needed attention multiple times.
That's probably not uncommon with a lot of folks.
[00:34:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:12] Speaker B: Because recovery, mental wellness, all of those things are not linear.
[00:34:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:20] Speaker B: It's going to be up and down in waves, just like how they say with grief. The stages of grief are not just a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 stages.
It'll. The stages will all shift around, get jumbled up. Some days are better than others, and it's the way that you deal with that. So for anybody out there who's dealing with mental health struggles, recovery struggles, anything like that, where they feel like, I should be better than this. I was better before, and now I'm kind of in a low again. Oh, how could I have gotten this?
What do you say to them in those moments of just that constant recovery?
[00:34:53] Speaker A: So it's great that you use that word recovery, because I feel like a lot of times recovery is more with substance use than anything, but it is also part of mental health. So those that are in recovery, part of recovery is that relapse, you know, period. Sometimes. Sometimes. Or any kind of period right before a relapse or anything like that. And so those would be the times, really, to kind of try to catch it as best as you possibly can is to reach out, you know, reach out to whatever supports you have, reach out to mobile crisis, reach out to anybody that might be able to kind of support you in that. In that very moment.
And it is all part of the recovery and the mental wellness and all those things, because it is not linear. And one day you could be having the best day of your life, and then the next day it could be everything comes flooding in and you're just having an off day. And sometimes those off days can last longer than the good days.
But it's okay. You know, we all go through it. We all have those moments where we have better days than others and where we're able to handle what life has thrown at us better than other days. And I think it's important that people, again, understand that they're not alone and that we all go through it, you know, maybe to different degrees at different times.
But I always say that I feel like there's this big misconception that everybody has it together. And I think that social. I think that social media has really took that and really ran with it. Yeah.
And it's just not the case.
I mean, I'm 31, and I barely know what I'm doing tomorrow other than going to work and probably taking my dog on a walk. That's about it.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: There you go.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: And I'm okay with that. And every day is a new day. And I just think that we all should just support each other in that.
[00:36:39] Speaker B: I 100% believe that. And you know, what you're saying about how social media has kind of put up this veil over, oh, everybody's got it together. It's beautiful. That's essentially what we're trying to break here with a show like this. You know, in the first several episodes that we've put out already, you know, we're showing how, you know, nobody has it together. And even the people who were having in here who are helping out, they've shared their experiences of when they didn't have it together and when they needed to have those resources and when they needed to lean on other people and how that has helped them to become better caregivers in whatever role that they are in.
[00:37:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: And I find that to be so inspiring. And if anything, that just humanizes the whole situation. As you said, some people will look at you or members of your team as this big authority figure, but at the end of the day, it's just another human probably going through something similar or know somebody going through something similar.
[00:37:31] Speaker A: Yeah. My best friend and I. I mean, gosh, I can't talk about her more, but she and I have this thing where we do. We call it a wellness check. And all we do is send a text, wellness check. And sometimes that's all the words are. They're just two words. Sometimes it's like, hey, friend, how you doing? Wellness check. We see each other multiple times a week.
And so. But it's just. We know that in that moment, we're. Whatever's going on in our lives, you know, and it's just us checking in A little bit more than we do normally.
And it really is so beneficial. And even if we're like, yeah, we're okay. We're like, okay, no problem. And then it's like in the evening, then it's another one wellness check, depending on how bad it is and how things are going.
Because I think that that is so important. Sometimes we don't want to talk about it, and that's okay, too. Sometimes that's okay, too. But to know that there's somebody there that when we are ready or we do want to talk about it. Another thing her and I do, we make an agenda. So, okay, so we haven't seen each other in a couple days or a lot has gone on, and we just want to remain focused on our tasks. We make an agenda. And so she'll make an agenda, I'll make an agenda, and then we'll come together and we're like, okay, before we do anything else, talk about anything else. Book a trip anywhere.
We have to talk about this agenda. And so that's what. So we'll do that. And it's very. It's so funny because it really does help. And she works in the addiction field, and so we both are in a very high stress, you know, high anxiety field, and a lot goes on in our day, and so we really make sure that we just have each other. Because if we don't have each other, then we have nobody, and the people that we serve have nobody either. Yeah.
[00:39:04] Speaker B: It's impressive, though, that your best friend and you are in similar enough fields to be able to come together in this way, because obviously you have the people that you work with, they understand what you're going through. And I see. I always used to talk about this with, like, music and entertainment people. Like, there's my industry friends and there's my outside friends and the industry friends. I can talk about some of the music stuff with that. If I talk to the friends and family on the outside, they just wouldn't understand the same way and probably wouldn't be able to give the same listening skills, the same understanding for you.
You have this nice little niche here where you have your outside people, you have the people you work with, and it sounds like your best friend is in this middle space of you share just enough where it's outside, but also inside, if that makes sense.
[00:39:50] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And it's very funny because I feel that we keep each other so grounded in a lot of ways, and we are very, very similar in a lot of ways, and we get that. So Often we're like. They're like, there's two of you. And I'm like, yeah, he probably thought that was never gonna happen.
And then they're like, this is, like, insane. Like, you guys are just. We just mesh. And it's so good, though, that we also do the same fields.
And so she went into the field for a very similar reason. She had somebody very close to her and her family that experienced addiction, and that got her into, you know, her role. And I think that that shared thing, too, is something that just kind of helps us through the day, you know, and we're able to kind of just like, laugh about the crazy things that happen or the things that we see or. And the things that go on, but then also, we know how to turn it off. And so we can just be us and just be friends and not talk about work.
And it's. It's great because we have both. We can. We don't get upset if the other person wants to talk about work, but then we also cannot talk about work and be just fine.
[00:40:54] Speaker B: That's beautiful.
[00:40:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:56] Speaker B: Truly does sound like you have your soulmate here with your best friend.
[00:40:58] Speaker A: Yeah, that's great.
[00:40:59] Speaker B: That's lovely. Yeah, that's lovely. Did you guys meet before you guys knew what you wanted to do in life, or did you guys find each other when you started, like, studying and figuring things out?
[00:41:08] Speaker A: So we always knew each other. We grew up in the same town, and we kind of just. She was a couple of years older than me, so we just knew of each other. We would say hi. We had a couple similar hobbies, things like that. Then her brother became my camp counselor at the town. Camp. Love that. So that was very comical, too, because I had my own relationship with him as well.
And so then just later on, I would probably say about eight years ago or so, we just kind of reconnected in a different way, and it just. The rest is history at this point, and, you know, we are two peas in a pod, so.
[00:41:39] Speaker B: Yeah, that's beautiful.
So throughout this entire episode, we've been talking about how important it is to have a very strong tribe. Been talking about what you got to do in order to take care of yourself, but also take care of the people around you. What you need in regards to. If you need resources out there, how that all goes again, it seems.
Again, I'm going to say this again, congratulations on the top 40 under 40, because it sounds like you are putting in so much work here into the community, so now to be recognized, finally be recognized for the 40 under 40, because you said you've wanted this for a time.
How does that feel to kind of have this validation or recognition in a sense? What does that mean to you and to the others around you?
[00:42:22] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think it's more impactful for the people around me than anything. I like to fly under the radar for the most part. I came into this field not for the money, as most social workers will say, and not for any recognition. And this is way bigger than I ever thought it was going to be, which is also kind of nerve wracking for me.
So I think for my family particularly, they have seen the work, they've seen all the things that I've accomplished. And I think for them to see this also is very bigger for them than I think it is for me. I mean, it's big for me and I love it and I'm so grateful for it, but I didn't do this to get recognized either.
And so I feel honored and I feel grateful. But the spotlight, when, so when I got the phone call that day, he was like, be ready to be famous. And I was like, oh no, that's like the worst thing that could ever happen to me. So, yeah, so I like to be in the community and you know, my dad is always pushing me to be bigger and to be in, you know, top. In the top and in administration. And I'm like, I have no interest in any of that because I love the face to face, I love the groundwork because I feel that that's more meaningful and I. That's what I want to do, you know, so. And he grumbles every time I say that to him. So for them, I think that, you know, they love this and I feel like that they feel just as honored as I do and they really should because if it wasn't for all of them, then I wouldn't even be where I am today.
Truthfully, I really do believe that. And so I love it and I hate it all at the same time.
[00:43:59] Speaker B: Understandable, understandable feeling.
So a follow up to that then, as you said for yourself, you want to keep yourself under the radar. What do you hope this recognition does for the mobile crisis unit in your field in general? What kind of awareness do you hope this recognition does for mental health and mobile crisis?
[00:44:17] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think that primarily I would like for a shift in people reaching out and not being afraid to reach out and to understand that there are people that are there for you and that we don't come in this big old van and want to swift your way, because that is a big fear for people.
And I just want to sit with you on a sidewalk and I just want to talk to you, and I just want to hold your hand on the worst day possible. And that's all sunflowers and roses and rainbows. But it's true. That is what I would prefer to do.
And I want people to understand that that's what we would all prefer to do, is just to be with you on that day, no matter what that looks like. And I hope that one of my things about doing the podcast, which I was very hesitant about, thank you for being here.
[00:45:11] Speaker B: You've been doing great.
[00:45:12] Speaker A: So was I just wanted to get out there and say, you know, that we just want to be supportive of people, you know, and maybe that if they see. See that I'm. I'm just a girl. I'm just. I'm just this girl that's here just like anybody else, that maybe it'll kind of ease a little bit of any kind of anxiety for somebody, you know, and what they're going through and to make sure that they know that somebody's there for them and it's okay.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it's very impressive, the work that you do, the recognition that you have, everything going on here. You have a lot to be proud of. I know I just met you last week, but I'm very proud of you, and I'm excited to see everything else that comes into fruition for you. And I look forward to enjoying this whole 40 under 40 season together and seeing where that all goes. Natalie, as we wrap up this episode, is there any last little nugget that you want to share? Either emphasize something we've already said, or maybe we didn't say it yet, that you just want to bring up any last little nugget?
[00:46:03] Speaker A: I don't think so, other than the fact that I am thankful to be here, thankful to be at MHA and thankful every day to be a part of the Mobile Crisis team. I mean, it is an outstanding work to do, and I'm just grateful that I get to do it every day.
[00:46:19] Speaker B: Beautiful. Yeah, beautiful. Natalie, again, congratulations. And I'm looking forward to all the celebrations together. This will be terrific. Again, if you need Mobile Crisis or any of the other resources here at mha, we're going to have all the links, contacts in the description of this episode. So if this is something that could help you, family member or friend, we want to be there for you. As Natalie said, you are not alone. Until next time, make sure that you stay well and whether it's warm or cold. But by the time this episode comes out, take care of yourself and at the end of the day, be your best. You have a good one, guys. Bye Bye.
