Speaker 0:00

Would you like to introduce yourself, sort of your name, role, and what inspired you to join Havenwood?

Charity Lynch 0:05

My name is Charity Lynch. My role is therapist here at Havenwood. And what kind of inspired me to join Havenwood was I was a pretty troubled teen. And then my son started doing scary stuff when he turned, started being a teenager. And he actually had to go inpatient. And so I know what it feels like to be the kids here, and I know what it feels like to be the parents here. And so I just kind of love that I get at work with like my people, I guess.

Speaker 0:36

Okay. And then so for the second sort of categories role in your calling towards this, what called you to trauma treatment and what keeps you here?

Charity Lynch 0:48

I started working in trauma. Like that's what I wanted to be when I wanted to be a therapist. Like I said, I was a trouble teen. I had a lot of trauma from my childhood. And when I started doing trauma therapy, I realized, well, A of all, how severe my trauma was, and B of all that everyone has trauma, no matter what it looks like. And so I really wanted to be able to fulfill the need of helping with that trauma. And so that's one of the reasons why. And then I stayed, just because it's really fulfilling. I love connecting with people and letting them understand that they're not the only ones who felt this way or see things or see the world this way, and helping them understand the things that they hold against themselves and they're like, why do I do this? I hate that I do this. But helping them understand this is a trauma response or this has come from this, and it really makes that difference in their lives. And I just love that.

Speaker 1:45

Okay. So, with that being said, what does a Havenwood day look like for you?

Charity Lynch 1:54

A Havenwood day looks like me wandering into my office pretty early. I like getting here early. I drop my kids off at school and then I come in early to get done paperwork and stuff like that. And then I start pulling kids for sessions. My therapy focuses on trauma and attachment. And I do trauma therapy through the somatic lens. And so I use somatic therapies like brain spotting or somatic processing to help them work through traumas. And so that's the main type of trauma therapy that I practice with them. And so we can do some brain spotting sessions, some family sessions. All the therapists eat lunch together. And so it's a little fun, like midday break. And then we do groups in the houses, and then back to individual sessions and family sessions.

Speaker 2:49

Sounds nice. Okay, and then for the third category, what makes Havenwood different? What does world-class trauma treatment look like in your role?

Charity Lynch 2:59

Havenwood is different, in my opinion, because of their dedication to trauma treatment. Like they really help us therapists stay up to date on like the latest modalities in trauma treatment. They pay for us to do extra trainings to be able to stay up to date in those modalities. And so that's really exciting for me. I actually just completed like the second to the last final stage of brain spotting. And then I finished the next stage in October because Havenwood offers us to be able to have these trainings because they're committed to the trauma therapy being world class and up to date and like as cutting edge as possible. And I really like that. When I think of world class when it comes to therapy, I think of like staying present and what's happening and like the new findings in therapy. Like they just came out with some new trauma responses that they've introduced and understanding ACE's scores to the fullest and stuff like that. And so I really feel like when we're talking about world class when it comes to therapy, I feel like staying up to date with what's current and ensuring that your therapists are well trained and well looked after so that we can retain therapists because having world-class treatment includes having consistent treatment.

Speaker 4:23

Absolutely. What is one innovation, ritual, or culture piece that you love at Havenwood?

Charity Lynch 4:31

I love the culture at Havenwood. I love how it's a little sassy, it's a little fun, it's a little sacrilegious. I just love it. I think it's awesome. I love that we're pretty connected. The clinical team, the residential team, the leadership team. We meet together all the time. We're constantly like having trainings and like meetings together to be able to make treatment work better. And so I love that culture of collaboration. I think it's really, I think it's really different and cool. And I know in a lot of other treatment facilities, it can kind of be like therapists against staff. And I love that it's not like that here.

Speaker 5:12

Awesome. Okay. Next category. What is one skill or mindset that has helped you grow?

Charity Lynch 5:19

I think a mindset that's helped me grow is I don't remember where I got like the quote from, but it somebody told me something like, you can stop learning when you're dead. I think being able to be a leader and also a student in that mindset helps me grow all the time. Even my youngest clients, when I'm meeting with like a 13-year-old or a 12-year-old, like they can teach me something and I'm open to that learning. And if I'm not open to that learning, what's happening with me and my ego that needs to be in check because there's so many riches and there's so many like wisdoms to gain if you're open to learning.

Speaker 6:03

Amazing. So along the same lines, what is something that helps you reset on like tough days that you might have?

Charity Lynch 6:11

I'm Jewish and so we're a very superstitious culture. And so I have little things in my office to help reset me and to rejuvenate my office space and to kind of cleanse it. I have some crystals, I have protection crystals and cleansing crystals to be able to re-cleanse the space. I have a hemsa that protects it from the evil eye. I just have my little rituals because I'm just silly like that. But I also have a ritual that helps me grow, is that I have a little metal helmet in my office. And when I have a really bad session or hear something that affects me deeply, I hold that helmet and I put it in the cold middle of that helmet. And it just helps me be able to reground myself.

Speaker 6:59

Sounds so nice. Oh my goodness. Okay, next category, just sort of on lightning round kind of thing. What is your favorite Havenwood tradition or inside joke?

Charity Lynch 7:10

I have so many favorite Havenwood inside jokes. We love joking about Havenclaw, the mountain lion that came on campus when it was cold. We love joking about him. We love joking. Me and one of our executive directors were both homeschooled. And so we love joking about how we're weird because we were homeschooled. And my favorite Havenwood tradition is the boat race. The competitiveness of it, the therapists are the best at trash talk. We are terrible at building a boat, racing a boat, anything with a boat. Well, our boat was good this year, but we're bad at any of that, but we are good at trash talking. And we start the trash talking like a month before the boat race. And it's just a really silly fun tradition that I like that the staff get to be involved and the kids are involved and everybody gets excited, and then we all go to the lake together and all race the boats and like cheer each other on. And I just like that.

Speaker 8:08

That's so cool. Yeah, I've heard that one before. The boat racing sounds so much fun. Okay, similar to before, what is your go-to snack or coping skill on long shifts?

Charity Lynch 8:20

My go-to coping skill would probably be taking a walk and listening to music. Our campus is really beautiful and it has beautiful scenery to just kind of walk in and breathe. So I like doing that for a coping skill. My favorite snack, they have a snack bag in one of the assistant director's office that they keep stocked for staff. And like I don't even like talkies. I don't know why, but they have these little mini talkies that they are so good. I don't know why they're good because the the adult ones are gross, but the little mini ones are awesome. And I just love grabbing one of those little bags, and so yeah, just a little heat to get you through the day.

Speaker 9:05

That's nice. Okay, what is one surprising fact about you?

Charity Lynch 9:09

A surprising fact about me would probably be that I had three kids in three years, not planned. So I don't feel like I've had a good night's sleep since 2009. And so my kids are very close together in age, they're very close together in spirit. And it's actually really funny because me and my husband work at Havenwood together, and my kids are all teenagers, and they're like, Do you think I'd be a good team lead? And I'm like, oh God. So now it's like Havenwood's like a family tradition, I guess, now. So it just makes me laugh.

Speaker 9:42

That's so nice though, that you're all kind of connected closely like that. And just for the last category, sort of with closing reflections, do you have any message for staff, students, and their families?

Charity Lynch 9:53

My message to staff would be the quickest way to de-escalation is validation. If you don't know how to validate, get with a therapist, get on YouTube, and learn how to validate. And that would probably be my advice to parents as well. A little validation goes a long way in a teenager's life, and it makes such a big difference in the way they connect with you, the way they listen to you, and the way they care about you, and the way they show up in your presence. And so that would be my advice to staff and parents. And I don't remember who else you wanted me to give advice to. So I guess that's my advice to everyone.

Speaker 10:31

Well, it's good advice, though. It's good advice.