At Ascend, we’re incredibly grateful to the team that helps us provide top-tier treatment for our clients, so every month, we’ve decided to spotlight a new staff member to give you a glimpse behind the scenes and show our appreciation for their work. This month, we’ve chosen to spotlight a day in the life of Charles — one of the mentors at the Culver outpatient program. Learn more about what he does that makes Ascend such an amazing place for teens!
Starting Out with Charles
Charles first got his start in the mental health and recovery world because he, himself, was a recovering addict. After going through his own treatment, along with AA and NA, he learned how to manage his mental health and rediscover his joy in life. Going through what he did inspired Charles to learn how he could help others overcome their struggles and achieve something greater.
What Charles Does At Ascend
When Charles joined our team, he didn’t really have any experience working in mental health. In fact, he was a freight specialist and forklift operator — a job he still has to this day. For him, working with Ascend was an opportunity to learn and give back to the community that helped him so much.
Since he started with us, Charles graduated from monitoring and tracking client behaviors throughout the day to running relapse prevention. He interacts with our clients on a daily basis, trying to teach them how to approach hurdles and preparing them for everything life may throw at them – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Charles Is The Right Fit
Even though he came to us with no official experience in the mental health field, his passion for helping others shone through. We think Charles has been such a great fit because he can truly identify with many of the struggles our clients face because he has experienced similar problems and overcome them.
His work ethic and mindset stand out to our team and the kids, inspiring everyone to work harder to achieve their goals. Even on his worst days, he knows the kids at Ascend need him, so he always feels driven to show up for them and for himself. He’s even working on his CADC-1 credentialing to become an official substance abuse counselor.
Charles Loves Ascend
Charles loves that he gets to wake up every day and work with passionate young people who have so much to share with the world. He appreciates Ascend specifically because he feels like we provide safe, caring, and comfortable spaces for our clients in top-quality facilities. He also sees how our personalized treatment plans target and support each teen’s specific needs.
A Day In His Life
Charles starts his day by opening the facility and checking that everything is stocked, clean, and ready to go. He may need to be prepared to transport clients to other meetings and activities, cook lunch, and make sure all the kids are participating in their assigned groups. Throughout the day, he’ll take shift and group notes for documentation to ensure continuity of care for each client’s therapist and healthcare provider.
Charles also collaborates frequently with other mentors, like Tee, to maintain the facility and help the kids with everyday tasks and chores.
Difficulties At Ascend
As much as Charles sees the differences he’s made in the lives of so many, he also knows there are many challenges to overcome — especially in substance abuse treatment. One of his biggest challenges has been meeting the clients where they’re at and realizing that not all of them are ready and committed to living up to their potential. He strives to overcome these challenges by approaching every client without any expectations or judgments, and helping them put in the work at their own pace.
Watching each client improve — no matter how slowly — is something that really motivates him. He’ll never give up this career now that he’s found it because he sees that he’s fighting for something bigger than himself.
Who Are We Spotlighting Next Month?
If you enjoyed this look into the daily life of our mentors, you might be interested in a few of our other spotlights, like Following the Rules with Ashtar or Yoga with Andrea. You should also stay tuned for the upcoming staff spotlights, which will appear every month on our blog!
