Jenny Bell Martin OPI

Meet the team: Jenny Bell Martin, Director of Career & Volunteer

Jenny Bell Martin OPI Jenny, you have been selected as the featured employee in OPI’s newsletter in the past, and you’ve been tapped again.  What has changed for you in your position at OPI and your overall role since the last time we interviewed you?

Over the past couple of years, a few things have changed for me at OPI in terms of my overall role. I have been able to channel my creativity into a few projects. I was able to get more involved with the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) components of our OPI Hybrid Program and OPI Intensive for young adults with borderline personality disorder or BPD traits.

I co-facilitate weekly groups, send out to staff “DBT Skill of the Week” emails, have created a few DBT videos that demonstrate how to use specific skills, and our department will be presenting our use of DBT Skills at the National Career Development Association later this year.

A big focus for this department has been the volunteering component, and we started tracking the hours that all participants contribute to the community through volunteering and community service. It’s only March and OPI has contributed more than 500 hours!

We recently collaborated with the Addictions Department to put together a panel that focuses on sobriety and the world of work. There was a great turnout, and I hope to make this a quarterly panel. I also collaborated with a couple of staff members to rework the alumni newsletter and program and we will be doing our first annual alumni weekend in June, which should be awesome!

That’s fantastic Jenny!  A lot of momentum going there!  Okay, next question.   What is the most challenging part of the work you do?

It’s definitely frustrating when a participant is fully committed to a volunteer, internship, and/or job search, and the opportunity is taking longer to obtain than anticipated. It’s times like these that we practice the various DBT skills to get past those bumps. The great part is that such circumstances are real-world teachable moments, and so much can be learned to help participants grow. It is also quite satisfying when an opportunity finally works out, because it validates a participant’s effort.

Right — difficult circumstances, including learning how to appropriate and skillfully tolerate the distress of waiting when there is no other choice, are great opportunities to use the skills in meaningful ways that participants will take with them as they move forward.  And, finally Jenny, what is your hands-down favorite part of the work you do?

My favorite part of my work without a question is working with the participants. I didn’t have a lot of experience with the OPI Intensive track participants and didn’t know some hybrid participants prior to joining the groups, so I wasn’t able to interact with anyone that wasn’t in my case load. Now I get to meet the majority of participants and love getting to know them. Everyone has their own unique story that includes so many different areas. Without our participants, I would know nothing about float tanks, permaculture, geocaching, cryptology, and balayage hair technique. What’s amazing is that each of these completely unique topics can lead to a career, and that is exciting. I love helping people find work and experiences that bring them joy, so hearing excerpts from their story really helps guide our work and also offers options for future participants.

Thanks Jenny!

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