A team member since summer of 2024, Zana is a Behavioral Consultant/Mobile Therapist with our Intensive Behavioral Health Services program.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK AT ALLEGHENY CHILDREN’S INITIATIVE?
I had just graduated with my Master’s degree in Community Psychology
from Point Park University and I stumbled across ACI and its IBHS program. I found that ACI’s mission aligned with my own personal beliefs and values and everyone that I spoke to at ACI had nothing but positive things to say about the agency. I was so excited to find an organization that I felt would help me develop my clinical skills while also valuing me as an employee.
The best part of my job is working, learning and growing alongside families. Every consumer has something to teach me and I have loved making such positive and trusting connections with others. My coworkers at ACI are also fantastic and I could not be more appreciative of how welcoming and kind our team has been to me!
One of the most defining moments of my time with ACI has been when a consumer that I had been working with for several months was able to utilize the coping skills we were learning together on their own out in the community. This young person had to go to the dentist, typically a very difficult environment for any child. To feel more calm, this consumer was able to use their bubble breaths that we had learned together using real bubbles in their backyard, and they were able to have an amazing appointment. When the family had told me about it, I was overjoyed and could not have been prouder! The smallest moments can make a world of difference, and I felt for the first time that my work was really having a positive impact on others. Supporting young people and seeing their potential is truly the most encouraging part of this work.
