Sheena Craiger, Community Relations Coordinator for Kentucky, sat down with us to reflect on the last 15 years as she celebrates a milestone work-a-versary.
How did you get your start at Pinnacle? Walk me through your first job title here, to the one you hold now.
“I first started with Pinnacle as a residential aid in 2008. My role then was very direct patient facing care. I focused on facilitating groups, monitoring our patients and transporting them to off-site meetings. During this time, I was given the opportunity to speak with patients during the “down time” between groups or after meals, to get the hear their stories and hopefully help them see better times where on the way for them. I later moved into the admissions department, then became the Admissions Lead at Recovery Works Georgetown. I really enjoyed my time in the admissions department, I felt I was given a very special role and opportunity to be one of the first staff that patients met when they were coming to our facilities. I always want our patients to be met with compassion and warmth. My current role with Pinnacle Treatment Centers is the Community Relations Coordinator for the State of Kentucky. Now I have the opportunity to work alongside other community partners to help patients find the help they need for substance use disorder. I get to work alongside State legislators, Local Police and EMS to identify needs in our State and hopefully reduce stigma towards individuals that suffer from Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders.”
What is your favorite thing about working at Pinnacle?
“There are so many things I love about working at Pinnacle Treatments Centers. The most important thing will always be our patients. I love and truly believe in our Mission Statement, of working to better the lives of our patients, their families and the communities in our state. I believe and trust in our leadership from our CEO to my supervisor, and my coworkers. I appreciate the trust that has been given to me to represent Pinnacle. ”
If you could go back and give advice to the younger Sheena walking through the doors on her first day at Pinnacle, what would you say?
“Looking back to when I first started working in the field, some advice I would have told my younger self would be to “take care of yourself too”. You cannot pour from an empty cup. There will be hard days, but there will be more beautiful days.”
“The most important thing we get to do while we are on this earth is help one another. I hope and look forward to being able to do that for Pinnacle and in all areas of my life for many more years to come. “