Time with the Prechter Program
Jennifer began working for the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program (Prechter Program) in July 2011 as a Clinical Social Worker, a split research/clinical position. She worked both in the Department of Psychiatry clinic as an outpatient therapist and as a member of the Prechter research team.
As a member of the Prechter Program team, her role included performing clinical interviews for research and administering psychometric/psychological assessments on several different research studies. These studies included the Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder, Longitudinal Voice Patterns in Bipolar Disorder (PRIORI), and Bipolar Clinical Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness (CHOICE). Jennifer also served as the research coordinator on the PRIORI project. Jennifer had this to say about the tools she used to conduct interviews for the Prechter Program studies she worked on:
“The interview tool that I used most frequently while working for the Prechter Program was called the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS). This interview could take up to 2 hours to complete if not longer, covering numerous diagnoses and various aspects of a person’s psychosocial history. This experience was invaluable for me in developing strong assessment skills as a therapist. It has also positively impacted my ability to provide case consultation to my supervisees.”
In addition to her work with clinical studies, Jennifer worked as a therapist in the Ambulatory Psychiatry Clinic on the bipolar team. One of her roles was to bridge the recruitment of research participants from the clinic through individual patient interaction and to work collaboratively with clinical staff. She also helped develop and facilitate treatment groups for depression and bipolar disorder patients, including the bipolar wellness clinic and cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) groups. She also worked as a field instructor and supervised a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) intern from the U-M School of Social work. When recalling her work with patients in the Prechter Program, Jennifer said:
“Hearing the stories of so many patients while working for the Prechter Program was truly an honor. This in-depth look shaped my thoughts around patients with a mental illness by reinforcing that they are first and foremost people. They want to live, work, learn, belong and participate in their communities just as anyone else. Being diagnosed with a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, can come as a relief for many patients because it provides the knowledge they need to seek the correct treatment and live their lives in a fulfilling way.”
Lastly, during her time as a social worker at U-M, she served on the Social Worker of the Year Award Committee, which recognizes excellence in social work practice for people at master’s and bachelor’s level credentials. Reflecting on her time with the Prechter Program, Jennifer recalled:
“I will always cherish the relationships that I built with my colleagues while working for the Preacher Program. We had so many fun times together including going to the Big House (University of Michigan stadium), bowling, and participating in different community outreach events. I loved being part of a team of such great people.”
Moving forward
In October 2015, Jennifer left her position at the Prechter Program. She relocated to southern Florida, where she had a short 10-month stint working for the University of Miami Department of Psychiatry as a Research Coordinator. From there, she relocated again in October 2016 to Houston, Texas.
After moving to Houston, she obtained a job working as a Senior Social Worker for the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). She provided outpatient behavioral health therapy services as part of an integrated medical home in this role. This therapy involved working as part of a multi-specialty treatment team, including providers from family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN), pulmonology, cardiology, and endocrinology.
Promotion
In December 2021, Jennifer accepted a promotion at UTHealth, as the Manager of Behavioral Health for Healthcare Transformation Initiatives. In this current role, she directs and manages the delivery of psychiatric social work services offered by the Department of Psychiatry. This position includes providing direction for the development of clinical programming to meet patient needs, developing and implementing standards of clinical practice specific to the provision of comprehensive psychosocial services, and strategic planning. She also supervises 12 licensed clinical social workers throughout UTHealth physicians' clinics.