Toni Webb of SUN Behavioral Health Lexington: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be your own best-friend. Shouldn’t we try to take ourselves out to dinner or buy a new game or outfit to make ourselves feel better? Doing this allows you to start loving yourself and feeling a sense of worthiness without expecting or wanting someone else to do it.
As a part of my series about the “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Toni Webb.
Toni Webb, MSW, LCSW is the Director of Outpatient Services for SUN Behavioral Health in Lexington, Ky. She received her Bachelor of Sociology from East Carolina Univ. with a concentration in Law and Society in 2001, and Master of Social Work from the Univ. of Ky. in 2012 after more than 10 years in the social work profession. Webb has held both inpatient and outpatient positions working with a variety of professions and clinical disciplines.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I was born in Akron, Ohio and raised by a large Italian and Polish family that offered plenty of conversation. In the 5th grade, I moved to North Carolina — moving away from family and adjusting to a new environment was challenging, but also exciting as I got to learn about different environments, cultures and building new friendships. I think this was the root of my interest into social work — I was always the kid who was “friends with everyone” and never really fell into any specific group setting. With that, I had a diverse palate, and it was comfortable to me. My continued career interests were in community, working with people and finding ways to help them have a better quality of life.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
That’s a hard one as I have so many. One story I feel really shaped who I am today is when I was applying to the VA Medical Center in Lexington where I just finished a year internship that I absolutely loved. It was my dream job at the time to continue working for the VA. They posted a few open social work positions and I thought, having just completed an internship, I was a shoo-in for one of the postings. I applied and didn’t get the job — I was heartbroken. I applied again when another posting came out, and again, I wasn’t selected as a candidate.
I remember reaching out to some of my previous colleagues about what I could do to strengthen my interview skills or resume, and I ended up talking with the person who was the Chief of Social Work at that time. She told me that if I wanted a job at the VA, “to be persistent and you will get one”. I wasn’t sure what to do with that immediately, however it led me to be more direct in my approach and not to be afraid to ask others for help in the process.
I pursued other opportunities that were presented to me, however continued to apply to the VA. Finally — after 10 applications — I received a call and was offered a position. I became a supervisor two years later. I learned how to be persistent and to go for goals I thought were unreachable. I worked through negative self-talk with a therapist, and ultimately, learned how to pay my experiences forward to both the staff/clinicians that work under me and with the patients I serve.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you first were starting. What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
I’m not sure how humorous this might be, but in hindsight as I picture it, I laugh. In undergrad when learning about family systems, working with families, etc., I was taught to respect a family’s environment if I was ever in their home. I had that drilled into my head as to not disrespect a family due to different socioeconomic backgrounds. We were taught to sometimes not dress up and to be more casual when working with families pending their demographics.
So, here I am fresh out of undergrad and working with different families in their homes. I remember being in a home that was infested with roaches — it was difficult for me to go there, but I was practicing my learned skill of trying to be comfortable in a client’s home. I was sitting with the family and writing and developing goals with them with one being — better home conditions, due to children being in the home. When I was writing down the goal, a roach fell directly on my hand. I wanted to scream, but I maintained the most calming demeanor, simply brushed the roach of my hand and said, “so I see we might have a roach infestation.” I was so embarrassed with how those words came out.
It turned out, the family had a plan in place in trying to control the roaches, but it was difficult due to the cost. Front line work can be difficult, but what I have learned is that most families are aware of their issues/barriers and generally want to work on them if they can.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful toward who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have had so many mentors in my life and I hope this will continue — I could probably write a book on each one and what they have offered me.
One mentor that really stands out is Otto Kaak, M.D, Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Social Work at the University of Ky. I was fortunate to be invited to a clinical group by my clinical supervisor at the time, Christy Leaver, LCSW, who had worked with him and they were strong colleagues and friends.
Dr. Kaak has since passed, but his mentorship didn’t end with his passing as he left me with a gift and the opportunity to continue his reflection with other clinicians/students I work with. When staffing with him one day on a case I was working on, I was all over the place with my detail, while thinking I had enough to make a decision on a diagnosis. I remember Dr. Kaak sitting back in his chair with his hands in front of him and his fingers touching one another — he was listening deeply to the case overview and reflecting. When I asked the group for advice on how to proceed, he simply said, “you don’t have enough information”. It was such a simple phrase; I was trying to figure out what to do with this patient, throwing out lots of scattered details and, at times, making assumptions when he was right, I simply didn’t have enough information.
Dr. Kaak taught me early in my career to not be afraid to ask questions from all angles and to take time when doing so. His candor was exactly what I needed to hear. It shaped my skill set and I often get feedback from patients saying, “thank you for taking time to hear me”.
What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?
I am a big advocate of self-care and teach this daily with my staff and with myself. My advice is to be kind to yourself — we can only do so much in one day and in each day — there are domains that include oneself, family, work, being in the community, personal health and achievement. We can’t be at our best with patients and work if we are not giving ourselves enough time to do everything else. It’s a balance and, when you learn it well and practice it well, you will thrive in this industry.
What advice would you give to the other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek and actively apply his methods of leadership. One quote that resonates is “Leadership is not a rank or a position to be attained. Leadership is a service to be given”. I encourage you to read his book, Leaders Eat Last, to gain insight on the role of being a leader and the responsibility that comes with protecting your team. If the reader can relate, they will naturally create a fantastic work culture. If they don’t, leadership was not their calling.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Mental health is often looked at in binary terms; those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness is a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness. Can you please share a story or example for each.
Here are the top goals I like to work on with patients when developing a self-care regimen to help with mental wellness.
- Pay more attention to the present moment (mindfulness). When you are home with family, be at home with family. When you in a work meeting, be present and engage in the topic at hand. If you are at the spa, enjoy it.
- Don’t believe everything you think. We can self-sabotage all day long! Instead, I recommend to patients to give themselves a visual of their strengths, and to keep the visual in common areas where they can see them daily. These can be small affirmations written on post-its, pictures of themselves when they felt good in a certain outfit, art or crafts they made and were proud of, fun décor that reminds them of a vacation, anything that will deter negative thoughts from snowballing out of control.
- Be part of a community. I love this one! Staying connected, especially during challenging times, allows us to feel a sense of security and belonging.
- Be your own best-friend. Shouldn’t we try to take ourselves out to dinner or buy a new game or outfit to make ourselves feel better? Doing this allows you to start loving yourself and feeling a sense of worthiness without expecting or wanting someone else to do it.
- Give yourself permission to have a bad day. I use this one a lot when working with patients. Life can get so busy with work, family, errands — we can’t expect to have “great days” every-day. I hear often from patients that they feel guilty not getting things done around the house or work projects not getting done in time. We have to learn to be “OK” with just stopping and letting ourselves rest. I often recommend for patients to learn to schedule this into their week when they start to feel the pressure of life. I’ve had some patients who even write time on their calendar to pause, and they look forward to enjoying the time so they can regroup.
How about teens and pre-teens. Are there any specific new ideas you would suggest for teens and pre-teens to optimize their mental wellness?
Our teens and pre-teens these days love technology and they are great at it. With tech advancements, we now have mental health platforms that accommodate the love of technology — telehealth, apps, virtual groups, etc. When I am working with this age group, I like to encourage working towards a plan that the teen feels comfortable with — I have found that when patients like a particular tool, their motivation for treatment is more successful.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
That’s a hard question as there are so many books that have done that!
If I could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Of course, a self-help movement of some sort! Maybe the “Be in Community Movement” …a movement that brings conversation to the table on any topic of choice. A place for safe conversation with no judgment.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
I use this one all the time, though have no idea who said it — “Surround yourself with those who will support your needs, not detour them.” I just love it!
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
As part of my self-care regimen, I don’t use social media other than LinkedIn. Anyone is welcome to reach out to me there — https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-webb-84ab9090/.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Toni Webb of SUN Behavioral Health Lexington: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.