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Sound has played a vital role in the community for over 50 years. And now, during the Covid-19 crisis, Sound’s team of experts continues to serve thousands of clients in person as well as via telehealth every month. Join us as we continue to visit and celebrate Sound’s Heroes of the Pandemic.

The heart and soul of our model of care are the people who work here, helping clients get through these scary, unprecedented times. We will continue to work with people and we will get through this together with these Heroes of the Pandemic.

When Governor Inslee issued strict quarantine measures for Washington State due to Covid-19, team members at Sound got to work. “Instead of panicking, the Operations Team at Sound got organized,” said Hansen. “One of my first assignments was to get the necessary supplies to help protect team members and clients.”

Hansen immediately rolled up her sleeves, and started working to help. “Like everyone else, I was stunned at the gravity of the situation. We serve over 26,000 people at Sound. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure the team and the clients all had the proper personal protective gear to stay safe,” said Hansen

Procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) for the entire organization was not an easy task.

“Back when Covid-19 started, it was really tough to get PPE,” said Sound Safety Manager Hailey Willman. “Elyssa really worked hard to get PPE to keep clients and team members safe. She was really key in making things happen.”

Director of Administrative Services Eric Cota had this to say about Elyssa, “Elyssa has ensured, since day one, that we had all of the Covid supplies we needed. Elyssa spent almost the first few months doing nothing but shopping. Since supplies were difficult to find – at least at first – she spent a lot of time researching different vendors, checking back constantly on availability, etc. She also has done a tremendous job tracking the supplies and the associated costs, and she took the opportunity to install shelving in the room across the hall from her to create an organized space. Elyssa also spends quite a bit of time each week fulfilling orders from all of our clinical and housing locations.”

We’re thankful and proud of you Elyssa. Thank you for joining Sound and for being a Hero of the Pandemic.

Sound has played a vital role in the community for over 50 years. And now, during the Covid-19 crisis, Sound’s team of experts continues to serve thousands of clients in person as well as via telehealth every month. Join us as we continue to visit and celebrate Sound’s Heroes of the Pandemic.

The heart and soul of our model of care are the people who work here, helping clients get through these scary, unprecedented times. We will continue to work with people and we will get through this together with these Heroes of the Pandemic.

Meet Cathy Callahan and Jody Schreven, two Certified Peer Counselors at Sound who have dedicated their careers to working with families and kinship caregivers. This dynamic duo has been a successful team at Sound for over 11 years. Callahan and Schreven have led many groups and events. They have been chosen to represent Sound at multiple, statewide healthcare conferences, sharing their progressive knowledge, and lived experience with others. They have taken groups of families, kids, and kinship caregivers on fun outings, all around the Greater Sound area. Recently, the two team members have added online cooking classes and intergenerational art projects to the services they offer. As many of Sound’s Peer Counselors do, Callahan and Schreven provide supplies and food to families and kinship caregivers, as part of their work on behalf of the Sound Child & Family Services teams. And now, due to the pandemic, Callahan and Schreven have begun running their group meetings online, supporting dozens of families and kinship caregivers throughout the area.

“It’s really stunning how little support many parents and caregivers have without the schools being physically open. That’s why we have two Zoom Groups weekly as well as safe and healthy events monthly. We check in. We reset. We laugh. We share. We get our positive mindset back. It’s important to continue the work we do together,” says Jody.

“Jody and I just want everyone to know that we both appreciate that Sound has been so amazing at providing us with ways to stay safe and still allow us to keep doing these jobs we love,” exclaimed Cathy. “Thanks to our Managers, our ELT (especially Katrina Egner, Guy Delisi, and Susie Winston), and everyone up to and including Patrick. We are grateful for all of you.”

We’re thankful and proud of you both, Cathy and Jody. Thank you for all your years of dedicated service and for being Heroes of the Pandemic.

Sound has played a vital role in the community for over 50 years. And now, during the Covid-19 crisis, Sound’s team of experts continues to serve thousands of clients in person as well as via telehealth every month.

The heart and soul of our model of care are the people who work here, helping clients get through these scary, unprecedented times. We will continue to work with people and we will get through this together with these Heroes of the Pandemic.

Meet Ashlee, a Sound clinician working on the Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) Team for the past 5 years. Ashlee brought Halloween candy to several clients who are in quarantine.

“I just know how much people LOVE our annual Halloween dance and I really wanted to do something to let them know we’re here, we’re thinking of them and we miss
them, too!”

Ashlee, thank you for caring about Sound and the people we serve.

Pamela Connors, a peer support counselor for Sound’s Transition Support Team, has been honored with the Partners in Health Above & Beyond award. This distinction is reserved for professionals who exemplify excellent service by going above and beyond the call of duty for children and families while modeling the Recovery and Resiliency Principles in King County. The principles address both holistic healthcare and trauma-informed-care and include assistance for people for both outpatient and residential services.

The award, given annually by Partners in Health, is a well-earned honor for Connors, a 3-year team member of Sound. A caring nurturer, Pamela is lauded by her clients and coworkers as an “exemplary human being” who goes above and beyond in serving her clients and caring for her peers. “I was shocked to win a prize for doing work I love!” said Connors. “I’m not looking for recognition, but it IS nice to be appreciated.”

Her teammate, certified peer counselor and parent peer coordinator Jody Schreven, nominated Connors for the award. “Pamela is one of the greatest clinicians we have at our Sound Tukwila office. She is also a wonderful certified peer. Upon meeting her I could see immediately she had “the best of both worlds” to offer clients. The folks she supports, in her role in Transition Support are often in complex and difficult situations. Pamela truly listens to them, without judgment or reservation (no stigma allowed around Pamela)! She not only goes above and beyond for clients, she is a colleague one can always count on and who involves herself in the work we do outside the office as well.”

The energy Connors exudes is positive, warm and welcoming – the kind of energy that makes a workplace more like home and team members more like family. When you ask people around the Sound office about Connors, the consensus is that she is the team mom. Connors says that she keeps her office lights low and the atmosphere calm. “I like my office to be inviting – a place where people can come to decompress.” Connors also keeps an impressive supply of treats in her office, noting which of her coworkers likes which snacks. Team members will often chip in a few dollars toward their favorites.

Her role as a Peer Support Counselor involves working directly with youth and adults to promote mental wellness, provide support to individuals and families directly impacted by mental illness, and advocate to reduce the stigma and discrimination against individuals grappling with mental health challenges.

Connors is especially proud of her work with at-risk youth. Her favorite client story is about a young man struggling with chronic institutionalization and mental challenges that caused him to attempt suicide several times since the age of seven. After working and talking with the youth, she concluded, “I don’t think you want to die. I think you’re afraid to live.” These words resonated deeply with the young man who took her wise counsel to heart. He continues receiving Sound services and he is now finishing high school, working at two different jobs, going to counseling and has been adhering to his medications.

Connors loves her work, she loves people and it is definitely reciprocated. We all congratulate you on this well-deserved award, Pamela. We’re very proud of you!