March is Social Work Month! We are grateful to have four social workers on staff everyday, but this month we are pleased to celebrate them a little extra. Thank you, Alex, Alicia, Lily, and Joanna for the way that you support the North Carolina ALS community!
Today, we are spending one-on-one time with Joanna Nunez. Joanna has been with us since 2012 as an Outreach Professional leading Support Groups, and joined our Care Services team in 2020. Joanna has an extensive background in working with Veterans and Mental Health. We invite you to read the interview below!
Question: Why did you become a social worker?
When I was in 8th grade, our teachers made us do a project where we wrote on a paper cloud our “dream job” and then 6 steps leading up to it. I wasn’t sure the name of the job, but I wrote “I want to help people and fix their depression”. My steps included things like “graduate high school” “go to college and learn about psychology” — I was able to do all of those things. I picked a MSW (Masters of Social Work) specifically because it allows me to work in a variety of settings, and MSWs are recognized as mental health experts in a court of law.
Question: What is the hardest and most fulfilling part of being a social worker?
The hardest part is seeing the lack of resources available for Mental Health and for ALS patients and their families. I feel like there are so many solutions right in front of us that just can’t be funded.
The most fulfilling part of being a social worker is being an agent of change- whether that’s changing a policy, changing someone’s attitude or emotions, or just influencing someone’s current mood and making them a little more hopeful.
Question: What led you to working with Veterans?
EVERYONE in my family is in or was in the military- Mom, Dad, Husband, little sister, countless uncles and cousins, and my father-in-law. Military life was and is very familiar to me, and in a way, I find it to be comforting. My first “real job” out of graduate school was for the Department of the Army. There, I found that the Soldiers’ needs and the situations they encountered were good “fit” for me and they accepted me.
Question: What have you learned from working with Veterans as a social worker?
Veterans have taught me so much about resiliency and courage. The biggest lesson that they have passed on to me is that “there is always a way” but you might have to think outside of the box and “MacGyver” things to make it work.
Question: How did you start working with people living with ALS?
In 2012 there was no ALS Support Group in Fayetteville, NC and ALS NC had several people with ALS and their families in the area. My colleague responded to a request from the then Care Services Coordinator for a MSW in the area, and as my colleague was close to retirement age, we trained together to be ALS Support Group facilitators . I continued with the Support Group after her retirement and then was asked to facilitate another ALS Support Group. I became involved in Walks and fundraising as a volunteer, and then the Wilmington ALS Clinic was formed, and I was invited to join Care Services as a Care Services Coordinator for Wilmington.
Question: What does your job look like as a social worker in the clinics you serve but also as a social worker for ALS United North Carolina?
I work with the Wilmington ALS Clinic and the Greenville ALS Clinic. At both clinics, I attend clinic days, meet patients and their families and introduce them to our programs and try to coordinate them with services and resources. At the Wilmington Clinic I also play a little bit of a clinical / hospital social worker role, as we don’t have a dedicated clinic social worker. In between clinic days I field phone calls, emails, and texts connecting patients and their families with resources.
Question: From a perspective of a social worker, what is one thing you want people to know about ALS?
I think it is important for people to recognize that an ALS diagnosis affects not just the patient, but the family, friends, and even the local community. This disease is horrible, but it really helps to have a village to support you.
Question: How do you navigate loss, heartbreak, and joy in your job as a social worker?
This job definitely requires support, and just like it helps a person with ALS to have a village, it helps immensely that I have a great one. I have a very supportive family, awesome friends, the ALS United NC staff that is more like a family than colleagues, and fun distractions. I also try to focus on self-care and reminding myself that I can be an advocate for everyone but I can’t do everything. It really makes my heart shine when I can connect our patients with other patients, a resource, or anything that makes them smile. I also remind myself that I am human and it’s ok to feel all of the emotions with my patients.
Thank You, Joanna for being a champion of the ALS Community, a long time supporter of our Veterans, and for being a supporter of issues of Mental Health! Happy Social Work Month to you, all of our social workers on staff, and to every social worker out there!