Rachel Norris

In partnership with the Health Executive Board (HSE, Highfield Healthcare's 22-bed Specialized Rehabilitation Unit (SRU) is designed to support individuals with enduring mental health challenges, particularly those diagnosed with psychosis and related complex needs. Throughout my time in the SRU, I attended weekly multidisciplinary team meetings to review monthly individualized care plans for clients, attended quarterly meetings to update client's community mental health teams on how they were doing in the unit, updated clients individualized care plans, held ongoing weekly 1:1 social work appointments with a caseload of 8 clients, managed a caseload of 10 clients, facilitated weekly social work groups on Communication, completed task work with clients such as medical card applications, welfare applications, passport renewal applications, etc., completed therapeutic work with clients such as boundary work, family work etc., completed social work needs & financial capacity assessments with clients, collaborated with other members of the multi-disciplinary team (psychiatry, psychology, RNP, CNM, OT, art therapy, music therapy, RSW), build longstanding rapport and therapeutic relationships with clients, liaised with client's family members and outside agencies and collaborated with MDT members to create safety plans for clients & to handle client safeguarding matters.

The Supplemental Food & Nutrition Assistance Program provides food benefits to low-income families across the United States. As SNAP Outreach Coordinator for JRTI I was tasked with leading their SNAP Outreach efforts as they collaborated with Catholic Charities USA. My tasks included creating administrative paperwork for their Community Collaboration Meetings as well as their Community Ambassador Program, leading those meetings through creating meeting agendas and presentations for those involved, compiling important information regarding resources across the state of Massachusetts through collaborating with social service agencies, devising effective outreach strategies to spread the word that Catholic Charities offers assistance with SNAP Aid and Recertification, training both JRTI and Catholic Charities contacts on how to effectively complete SNAP Aid, creating monthly/yearly reports regarding SNAP Aid and creating 'Client Voice Surveys' for Catholic Charities across the United States offering a platform for individuals receiving aid to rate their experience with Catholic Charities. Community Collaboration Meetings are meetings open to social service agencies across the state of Massachusetts that are looking to collaborate regarding SNAP Aid and the Community Ambassadors Program is planning to provide a monthly packet of State Resources to individuals looking to make a positive impact on their communities effectively reaching typically hard to reach populations.

Second church is a religious organization focused on aiding individuals in need throughout the Greater Boston area. Through their tutoring, mentoring, and coaching programs, free community events, and endless aid, Second Church is a nonprofit that strives to uplift their community. While interning with Second Church, I planned local and international field trips for a group size ranging from as low as 15 and to as high as 60, assisted in kickstarting a 5-7 Year Program which provides educational and life assistance to a group of people ranging from children in 3rd grade to adults and seniors and created essential forms, flyers, and factsheets for all necessary activities and programs at the enrichment center.

TGLC is a state licensed non-profit program consisting of a preschool program, before and after school program and summer program consisting of children between age 3 and 5th grade. Throughout my time at TGLC I spoke with parents and staff on a daily basis to create a trusting, communicative, and close relationship with each one of them, assisted in planning and executing an appropriate curriculum for a class of 17 4-year-olds and built personal relationships with each child through story time, play, and music lessons. Over the years, this position was part-time and full-time and even consisted of voluntary events such as parents' night out where parents could bring their children to the program for a festive holiday evening. Since I held this position for quite a few years, I was able to not only continue bonds with the children as they moved 'up' with their age group to the next room, but I was also able to teach multiple children from the same families as younger siblings began to age into the program.

OAI provides in-home, individualized applied behavioral analysis programs to children clinically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. ABA Therapy is a highly structured program that uses positive reinforcement to help children learn essential life skills. Throughout my time at OAI I managed a caseload of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder, used positive reinforcement techniques to increase measures of independence and social interaction in ASD clients ages 3-5, reduced problem behavior events through applied behavior analysis (ABA) interventions, and effectively collaborated with clients' families to facilitate an enjoyable environment for each child. This was a part-time position that took place within clients' homes at the beginning of the pandemic and transitioned to assisting clients at school/in the classroom as restrictions were lifted.

TYSCT is a year-round musical program providing summer musical and coffee house opportunities to the youth of Tolland, CT and its surrounding towns. This program encourages youth to explore their creative abilities while providing self-worth through community involvement. Throughout my time working as a stage manager for their summer musical I managed and organized paperwork and finances for a chorus of 150 children, collaborated with staff and children through joining dance warmups, using daily greetings, and having weekly check-ins on how everyone was going, assisted in teaching the kids choreography, and helped the show run smoothly by replacing actors' mics, managing light/curtain transitions, cleaning the stage, and managing props.

The Creative Preschool provides high school students participating in the child development program with hands-on experiences working directly with young children. Open to children ages 3-5, this program is supervised by high school students that often choose childhood education as a future career. Throughout my time at The Creative Preschool I planned and executed a curriculum for 12 children ages 2-6, assisted in teaching a class of 20 kids aged 15-18 about childhood/early childhood development, bought and kept an inventory of healthy snacks for the class on a weekly basis, planned and executed a graduation, slideshow, and picnic for the kids at the end of the year, cleaned and programmed infant simulators for the older students to take home, graded tests, and kept track of students' assignments. This position was given to only one senior student each semester that had previously taken the child development and early childhood education classes and excelled in both.