Erin P: ‘Walk-In is a healing place for the counselors, too”

Erin P. volunteered as a counselor at Walk-In while deciding whether to become full-time therapist. As a clinical social worker, she was qualified as a therapist but had been working instead as a hospital social worker.

“A colleague of mine at the hospital, also a clinical social worker, was volunteering at Walk-In during an evening clinic after work. She piqued my interest.”

Often at her job, she would see people who needed additional support, but she was not able to get that support for them. “What really drew me to Walk-In was seeing the limits of what I could do for people within the barriers of health insurance.”

As a volunteer helping people who otherwise might not be able to get mental health care, Erin found that she also benefitted from doing the work. “At Walk-In, it was really healing for me to be in a place where insurance wasn’t part of the conversation – where we didn’t have to turn anyone away.”

After every clinic, the team of therapists discusses each case to help counselors support their clients to the greatest extent possible, while maintaining client confidentiality. At the time, Erin’s daytime work at a hospital at the height of the pandemic was putting stress on her own mental health. Having the support of Walk-In team helped her both personally and professionally.

“At that time, I was wondering: Can I be a therapist? Will I be good at this?” Erin says. She learned from others and found out she could, and was.

She remembers one client in particular. “One person, who had no insurance, expressed so much gratitude. I remember them saying, ‘if I make a bunch of money someday, I will donate to Walk-In.’”

Erin is now a full-time therapist at a nonprofit. She currently does not have time to volunteer, but she and her family continue to support Walk-In financially. It was at this time of year, during the Give to the Max Campaign, that Erin encouraged her dad, Steve, to donate to Walk-In, and he did.

“People in my family come to me to ask who is doing good work,” Erin says, “Since working at Walk-in, that is number one.”

“My whole family values mental health,” Erin says. “My parents went through traumatic things in their youth. My mom, my dad, my sister and I have all done our own therapy. There has been really cool intergenerational healing.”

Today, Erin herself donates monthly to Walk-In, and she hopes to come back as a volunteer in the future.