Troy Schuldheiss (right) presenting the SA Value Award to Michelle Searcy (left).

Meet Michelle Searcy! Michelle was the winner of our SA Value Award in Employee Satisfaction and has been employed with SA for the past seven years. Michelle is currently a BISS (Behavior Intervention Support Specialist)/PCV (Parent Child Visitation) Supervisor at Moses Lake, along with being the unofficial admin assistant.

Some things that Michelle enjoys the most about being with SA is listening to the kids talk about what is going on in their lives and listening to what is going on with her co-workers. In general, she greatly enjoys listening and helping those who may need it.

 

When someone asks, “What do you do for work?” What do you say?
“I say I am a Lead BISS worker. When asked, ‘what is that?’ I say that I work with kids and families who are involved with the state.”

What does a typical work day look like for you? If there is no typical, describe your most recent work day:
“Today for example, I came into the office, made sure to prepare tech stuff to ready to our IT department, we had a staff meeting, went over the schedules for the rest of this week, and changes that were required and then went over next week’s schedules. I checked and answered emails for Social Workers, accepted a referral for PCV, went over visit notes and approvals. Then, I contacted facilitators about certain visits, assisted various people in the office with different needs, made changes to titles for updated ID badges, and later today I will take a child home from a visit with their Case Manager.”

What do you like most about your job?
“I like the people I work with and the flexibility that this job gives me. Kids have such a unique way of looking at the world, and if you just stop and listen to them, you can learn so much.
Working hand in hand with the different families, being able to get children back to their families, and watching adoptions go through and seeing the difference in a child’s life is so rewarding.”

What three words world you use to describe your role?
“Voice of Reason, Port in the Storm, Office Counselor. And a 4th one which is more like an inner office joke, I’m like “Dex” – if someone doesn’t know where something is or how to find it on the computer, everyone will say, “Just ask Michelle!”

What personal quality or skill do you think has helped you most in your job?
“A good memory for detail, and the patience to deal with the details and the people.”

Given your experience, what would you say to someone who has just started in the field? (and/or) What about someone who is interested in a job like yours?
“You need to have patience and discretion for the children and their parents. It’s important to pay attention to details for accurate documentation. Remember your opinions are your own but try not to pass judgment as you could end up in the same boat someday. It’s all about choices – what you do and how you do it affects other.”

 

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