Cummins Conference Recap: Investing in Our Talented Life Skills Specialists
When a person begins receiving behavioral health services, they may be in need of assistance for a variety of life challenges.
For example, they could be experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder and need help reducing and managing those symptoms. On the other hand, they could also be struggling with certain day-to-day tasks in their life, either as a result of a mental illness or for other reasons. They might have difficulty completing tasks that many of us take for granted, such as taking medications, setting schedules, balancing finances, and resolving problems.
Life Skills Specialists (or LSSs) play a critical role in assisting individuals with these latter types of challenges. LSSs work with consumers in any way needed to help them overcome obstacles to daily functioning. This might include helping them implement strategies and behaviors they have learned in therapy.
At Cummins, we know that life skills training is an essential part of helping people improve their health and well-being. We also know that our talented LSSs are integral to fulfilling our mission. It was with this in mind that we recently held our first ever Cummins Conference for Life Skills Specialists!
The conference focused on expanding our LSSs' "professional toolboxes" by teaching valuable skills for consumer interaction and personal self-care. The ultimate goal? To create more positive outcomes for our consumers as well as support the personal and professional growth of our LSSs.
Keep reading this post for more information and lots of fun media from the conference!
Why Invest in Life Skills Specialists?
Compared to other positions in a consumer care team, the role of a Life Skills Specialist might appear minor at first glance. The LSS position does not require the advanced academic degrees needed by therapists and psychologists, nor is it responsible for diagnosing mental health disorders.
But in reality, LSSs are absolutely essential to a consumer's recovery experience.
"The Life Skills Specialist role is really unique, and it's really important," said Rachel Moore, who co-chaired the conference with colleagues Jessica Hynson and Lesley Brusda.
Hynson agreed: "[A consumer] might learn a concept in therapy, but they have no opportunity to practice it. The LSS takes it the next step further, making it the most important job that we have, because it's the one that helps consumers implement what they’ve learned."
"An LSS is eyes and ears," added Brusda, who specializes in school-based services. "They are with the students in the school building, being an advocate for them, being a support for them, being able to work with families and make that transfer of skills from one setting to the next, with the goal that they can graduate and not need us anymore."
Our conference brought all of our LSSs across our five counties of operation together under one roof. This allowed team members to learn and collaborate with colleagues they do not normally see each day, enriching their pools of shared knowledge and expertise.
"Coming together and working as a team with [people from] different offices has been really great," Moore said. "It's just really important that we highlight that and get to celebrate everybody."
And the learning opportunities won't be ending there. The conference marked the launch of our new Universal Learning Community program, which will bring together LSSs who work with similar consumer groups for enhanced, specialized training once a month.
Our hope is to facilitate continuous learning and professional development for all of our life skills specialists—who make some of the biggest differences in the lives of our consumers.
"I'm very excited that hopefully this is something we can continue to do in the future," Brusda said. "Just from the feedback I've gotten and the experiences I've had in my sessions, I know [the LSSs] have come away with tangible things they can take back with them to their schools, their consumers, and their families."
Recapping the Conference Activities
Our LSS Conference featured a variety of activities intended to celebrate our hardworking Life Skills Specialists, acknowledge their accomplishments, and equip them with knowledge and tools for working with consumers.
Opening Remarks and Staff Recognition
The day began with general announcements, an overview of the agenda, and opening remarks from Chief Clinical Operations Officer Robb Enlow. You can watch an abbreviated version of Enlow's remarks in the video below.
Every LSS at the conference also received some Cummins-branded swag, including a pocket notebook, a ballpoint pen, and a reusable plastic tumbler. More than one attendee expressed their excitement about this swag to the Conference Committee!
Additionally, we took a few moments to recognize the commitment and dedication of our LSSs. Many have been with Cummins for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, or even longer.
For example, the individuals in the photo below have all served as LSSs on our team for 5 years or more!
They are:
Front row, from left: Riley Martin (5 years), Savannah Winings (8 years), Katelyn Marshall (13 years), Adeline Rowan (7 years), Whitney Reyher (6 years)
Back row, from left: Anthony Hines (6 years), Ryan Bradley (6 years), Lizzie Atkins (8 years), Amber Underwood (16 years), Shelby Struck (8 years)
Not pictured: Gwyn Malloy (10 years), Ryan Caul (9 years)
Breakout Group #1: Wellness
After the opening ceremonies came our first group of breakout sessions. There were six different sessions in each group, and our LSSs had previously chosen which ones they wanted to attend.
The first breakout group was focused on wellness, which LSSs can use for their own well-being as well as when working with consumers.
For example, Onboarding Specialist Jen Knight led a session on mindfulness, explaining how it can be used for self-care and for assisting consumers (especially youths) with skills like self-awareness and emotional regulation. Attendees went on a "mindfulness scavenger hunt" and practiced mindfulness by eating chocolate bars!
Other breakout sessions in this group included:
- Physical fitness
- Chair/desk yoga
- Nutritional wellness
- Guided meditation
- Setting boundaries
Breakout Group #2: Individual Skills Training
The second group of breakout sessions focused on specific skills and activities that LSSs can use when working with consumers.
One such session, led by Therapist Team Lead Melissa Bush, instructed attendees on managing suicide risk among consumers and assisting individuals who are undergoing mental health crises. Another session, led by Director of School-based Operations Megan Taylor, introduced attendees to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and how it can help consumers regulate their emotions in difficult moments.
The other breakout sessions in this group were:
- Trauma-related skills
- "Make your own skill" workshop
- "Creative skills on-the-go" workshop
- "Minute to win it" games
Breakout Group #3: Family Engagement
The final group of breakout sessions focused on ways to get the whole family engaged with skills training. This is especially important for LSSs who work with youth consumers.
For instance, Director of Recovery Raychel Hamby and Substance Use Disorder Team Lead Brie Metcalf held a session on simple "minute to win it" games that can be used with families. These easy games, which can be played using common household items, can help youth and families feel more comfortable with treatment and practice important life skills like communication, cooperation, and accepting loss.
Attendees of this session got to have some fun by trying out a few games for themselves!
Other breakout sessions in this group included:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for interpersonal skills
- "Make your own skill" workshop (family focus)
- "Creative skills on-the-go" workshop (family focus)
- "1-2-3 Magic" child discipline skills
- The 5 languages of love and apology
Family Engagement Panel and Role-Playing Sessions
After a break for lunch, the LSSs again gathered into one group for a panel presentation on family engagement.
The panel was composed of Cummins Life Skills Specialists who are experienced in working with families and who agreed to share their knowledge on the topic. Conference attendees learned about proper protocols for working with families, and they had the opportunity to pose specific questions and solicit advice from the panel.
The panel members, as pictured in the first photo below, were:
Front table, from left: Lizzie Atkins, Katelynn James, Savannah Wallace, Victoria Jones, Melissa Lawson, Siobhan Prince
Back table, from left: Brie Metcalf, Nicholas Wright, Daryl McClellan, Madeleine Green, Carey Gorham, Heather Elenich
At podium, from left: Megan Taylor, Jen Crooks
Following the Family Engagement Panel, conference attendees finished up the day by breaking into groups and participating in role-playing exercises. This gave the LSSs a chance to practice some of the new strategies and skills they had learned throughout the day with a partner who played the role of a skills training consumer.
A Word of Thanks to Our Conference Committee
This was our very first time hosting a conference of this type for our employees, and it could not have been done without the hard work of our many dedicated team members.
First and foremost is our Conference Committee, who worked diligently to plan, prepare, and present all of our various conference activities. They are pictured in the group photo below.
On floor: Ashley Mayfield
Front row, from left: Raven Hampton, Lesley Brusda, Melissa Ballard, Megan Taylor, Jaimie Pawlosky, Rebecca Bradford, Jessica Hynson, Brie Metcalf
Middle row, from left: Miranda Fencl, Jen Knight, Rachel Moore, McKenzie Skirvin, Liz LeMay, Raychel Hamby, Tracy Waible, Jen Crooks, Yolanda Ursery
Back row, from left: Amy Mace, Melodie Ondecker, Vickie Halbleib, Robb Enlow
Not pictured: Lindsay Kusy, Chris Stuart
Here are a few more photos of our Conference Committee working the event.
We would also like to thank our executive leadership, who supported this endeavor from the very beginning.
Last but certainly not least, we want to thank every single one of our talented Life Skills Specialists who attended the conference! They came ready to learn and did a fantastic job in their breakout sessions and activities.
Here are just a few of the things they had to say about the experience:
- "I sincerely enjoyed the opportunity to meet and network with others in my same role. It was great to hear others’ experiences and get their insight on different scenarios and situations that happen in the role and how to handle them. I also really enjoyed the breakout sessions at the start of the day and how they were geared towards employee health and wellness so that we are able to be our best selves." — Chancey Hines
- "I liked that [the conference] gave us a chance to meet other LSSs from different counties. I also enjoyed learning about different topics and getting more ideas for sessions." — Amber Juday
- "My favorite part was the feeling of community. I was happy to see other Cummins staff who I used to work with or know and do activities with them." — Anselma Lopez
- "I loved meeting the other LSSs, and hearing what skills activities they use and how they handle difficult situations." — Bethany Robinson