I’ve always played a direct service role in my career and volunteered with individuals with special needs. From a special needs bowling league in college in 2000, to getting my license in behavior analysis and opening a treatment facility, it’s always been about teaching skills to improve the outcome of independence and new and meaningful skills.
One thing that always stuck in the back of my mind, especially on a challenging day, is that I was “clocking out” at a certain time, and the families of the children I served never stopped. My job was to support and educate children during normal business hours, and then my day ended. Mentally, I didn’t stop, but physically I left, and went to my home, spent time with my family, etc.
I would regularly think “How does this parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/etc manage this behavior while running their household?” I worked in a clinic that had teams to support in any situation. If I needed to walk away due to intense aggression or needed a mental break, I could. I knew there was another therapist, ready to support me.
What do families do? In the 20 years of being in this field, I’m well aware there is not enough respite, therapy, support, money, etc to support what caregivers and parents need longterm. So, I continued to ask myself the question, “What can I
be doing?”
I had always played a backseat role in CL Safety Support due to my focus on direct therapy and service for the individuals. I never saw myself stepping back from the direct service aspect, but have recently been called to focus on bringing products to support safety and independence to fruition.
Over the past few months, CL has become my main work focus. This has opened my eyes to a whole new set of needs and a different perspective to meet those needs. I’ve always worked on the behavioral health side, so to focus on equipment and materials and see how they can have such a significant impact for people, I am realizing the importance of this side.
We are only scratching the surface at this time, and while there are millions of ideas that need to be explored, I’m looking forward to educating myself and taking 1 idea and 1 product at a time to hopefully open doors and opportunities for others.
We are always interested in hearing from those that would benefit from an adapted or new product, so please feel free to email at alicia@clsafetysupport.com.