MELISSA WALKER
Flint,MI
Summary
I am a highly motivated person with with desire to take on new challenges. I have strong worth ethic, adaptability and exceptional interpersonal skills.
I would like to further my educational have worked at Whaley Children's Center, a mental health program for children in foster care for the past 6 ½ years. I believe this degree will help me continue my career path in understanding the way humans think and behave, particularly youth (school age- adolescents).
Receiving a Master's degree in Psychology will help me reach my goal of one day opening my own mental health facility to service under privilege communities to help youth and their families.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Children's Department Supervisor
Whaley Children's Cener
09.2024 - Current
- Updated client documentation for accurate, compliant and current records.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to ensure appropriate care coordination and resource allocation for clients.
- Interviewed clients, families, or groups to assess situations, limitations and issues and implement services to address needs.
- De-escalated stressful situations through individual and family crisis interventions.
- Maintained accurate case documentation, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and facilitating informed decision-making by team members.
- Improved client well-being by conducting comprehensive assessments and developing tailored intervention plans.
- Promoted a culture of self-care and professional development among colleagues, fostering a supportive work environment that encouraged ongoing growth and learning.
- Cross-trained existing employees to maximize team agility and performance.
- Established performance goals for employees and provided feedback on methods for reaching those milestones.
- Handled sensitive information with discretion, maintaining confidentiality of company documents and personnel records.
- Updated reports and generated reports for company database.
- Maintained strict confidentiality of sensitive information, upholding the highest standards of professionalism at all times.
Intake/Visitation Coordinator
Whaley Children's Center
03.2022 - Current
- Developed and implemented visitation procedures for families
- Interview youth before they are admitted to our program
- Create case summaries for the youth for incoming youth
- Maintained accurate records of visitation activities and outcomes
- Scheduled and facilitated family visits with children in care
- Provided crisis intervention services to families during visits
- Collaborated with other service providers to ensure the safety of children in care
- Coordinated transportation arrangements for visitations as needed
- Monitored adherence to court-ordered visitation plans
- Created individualized visitation plans tailored to each family's needs
- Encouraged positive interactions between parents and guardians and their children during visits
- Educated families on appropriate behavior during visitations
- Provided support to both parents and guardians and children before, during, and after visitations
- Resolved conflicts that arose from disagreements over visitation schedules or practices
- Participated in case reviews regarding the status of visitations within a family unit
- Documented all interactions related to visitations in client files in accordance with agency guidelines
- Create visitation schedule for agency weekly; send out updates for visitation via email and GROUPME to Whaley team
- Create zoom links for virtual visits
Case Manager
Whaley Children's Center
03.2020 - 03.2022
- Assessed youths needs, developed service plans and monitored progress towards goals
- Facilitated communication between youths, families, caregivers, social services and other agencies to ensure client needs were met
- Provided crisis intervention support for youths in emergency situations
- Maintained accurate case records and documentation according to agency guidelines
- Attended court hearings as a representative of the organization when needed
- Advised staff members on effective strategies for working with challenging youth behaviors
- Maintained up-to-date case records with case activity status
- Participated in regular team meetings and in-house training sessions to boost group effectiveness
- Advocated for youth by obtaining information regarding treatment options and clinical status
- Communicated with legal services providers, social services agencies and local judicial systems regarding cases
Youth Specialist
Whaley Children's Center
06.2018 - 03.2020
- Created an environment conducive to learning by establishing clear expectations
- Monitored daily activities of youth participants in order to ensure safety at all times
- Implemented behavior management techniques to encourage appropriate behavior from participants
- Provided crisis intervention services when necessary
- Kept youth safe and secure at facility and in public
- Followed treatment guidelines and intervened in crisis situations
Education
Bachelor Of Arts - Criminal Justice
University Of Michigan
Flint, MI04.2020
Associate of Applied Science - Criminal Justice
Charles Stewart Mott Community College
Flint, MI04-2016
Skills
- Service Planning
- Family Support
- Evaluation and Assessment
- Client Advocacy
- Conducting Interviews
- Experience With At-Risk Youth
- Case History Compilation
- Culturally-Sensitive
- Client Interviewing
- Client Documentation
Timeline
Children's Department Supervisor
Whaley Children's Cener
09.2024 - Current
Intake/Visitation Coordinator
Whaley Children's Center
03.2022 - Current
Case Manager
Whaley Children's Center
03.2020 - 03.2022
Youth Specialist
Whaley Children's Center
06.2018 - 03.2020
Bachelor Of Arts - Criminal Justice
University Of Michigan
Associate of Applied Science - Criminal Justice
Charles Stewart Mott Community College
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